Vikings Trade Pitch Sends J.J. McCarthy to AFC for Monster Draft Haul

No matter what happens during the playoffs, the Minnesota Vikings are less than one month away from making the most crucial decision the franchise has faced in years.

There is a scenario in which the Vikings keep both Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy in 2025, kicking the can down the road for one more season on a choice between the two as the team’s franchise quarterback.

However, McCarthy’s trade value is never going to be higher than it is now considering the mystique surrounding his ceiling, while Darnold will probably never be in more demand around the league given the landscape of QB-needy franchises and weak draft and free agent classes hitting simultaneously this spring.

The safest and most sensible play is to stick with Darnold, regardless of how the postseason turns out. He is just 27 years old and has proven himself capable of excelling in Kevin O’Connell’s system with the current pieces on a roster that is only going to get better as the Vikings spend the $78.3 million in projected salary cap space they have for 2025.

Where Minnesota’s roster building capacity is weak is in the NFL draft, as the team has just its first-round pick and two fifth-rounders to add young talent on inexpensive rookie contracts. Trading McCarthy, however, would allow the team to restock its draft coffers to the tune of three more picks in exchange for a quarterback Minnesota selected No. 10 overall last April.

One of the best-suited candidates to serve as a partner in such a deal is the Las Vegas Raiders, who pick 6th overall, just fired head coach Antonio Pierce and are looking for an answer at quarterback this offseason.

Analysts Widely Consider J.J. McCarthy Better NFL Prospect Than Either Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward

Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN speculated on Thursday, January 9, that Minnesota could get three picks from the right team in trade for McCarthy, including a first-rounder well inside of the top 10.

[The Vikings] only having a first and two fifths, they may say, “Hey, if we can get three draft picks for J.J. McCarthy, maybe let’s do it” — assuming Sam Darnold plays really well in the playoffs.

McCarthy is a year younger than Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. He’s coming off the [knee] injury, but he’s a kid if you look at his grade last year compared to this year with the quarterbacks, he’d be the No. 1 guy.

Kiper leaned heavily on the idea that Darnold needs to perform well in the playoffs, meaning the team would probably need to win at least one game and be competitive in the Divisional Round, to cement the Vikings in a decision to extend Darnold and trade McCarthy.

However, after Darnold put up 4,319 passing yards, 35 TDs and 12 INTs and led the franchise to a 14-3 record, he seems the favorite to be back in Minnesota next season even if the playoffs don’t go well.

Raiders’ Top 2 QBs Each Struggled, Suffered Injuries in 2024

Kiper noted the New York Giants with the No. 3 pick as possible suitors, but the Raiders can put together just as formidable of an offer and have just as much reason to aggressively pursue a young quarterback.

The Raiders own the Nos. 6, 37, 73 and 106 picks in the first four rounds. Las Vegas could make a compelling offer that includes the 6th pick and either their third- or fourth-rounder in 2025 along with an early Day 3 asset in 2026 for McCarthy — who may end up proving better and less expensive annually over the next handful of years than either Sanders or Ward.

Both of Las Vegas’s top two quarterbacks in 2024 — Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell — lost the starting job to the other at some point between the start of the preseason and end of the regular season. Each also suffered serious injuries, which led the team to add Desmond Ridder late in the season.

The Raiders are legitimately desperate for a new quarterback as they begin the Tom Brady-ownership era in earnest, and if they can’t trade up to the Nos. 1 or 2 picks, then trading for McCarthy is probably their best option — even if the price ends up a little steeper than the team would like.