J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
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(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings used a top-10 pick to acquire quarterback JJ McCarthy two years ago, and they might be able to trade him now for a player who went six spots earlier just one draft before.
Minnesota isn’t done with McCarthy, per se, but the team inked Kyler Murray in free agency who is likely to claim the QB1 spot given his resumé and the circumstances inside the Vikings’ locker room. If that happens, it is reasonable to assume that the McCarthy era in Minneapolis ends after just 10 starts, regardless of whether Murray plays well and/or returns to the team in 2027.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts are very much finished with former No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson just three seasons after drafting him and still three months prior to his 24th birthday. Indy granted Richardson permission to seek a trade, and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has expressed his respect for the dual-threat QB’s game publicly before.
In fact, O’Connell once said as much to Richardson on the field after a game between the Vikings and Colts back in 2024.
“Hey, do me a favor and remember something. You’re a bad dude. And you’re gonna play a long time in this league. Alright?” O’Connell told Richardson after the Colts benched him midseason in favor of veteran Joe Flacco. “Go to work every day, good things will happen for you. I still believe in you.”
With Richardson finished in Indianapolis and the outlook appearing evermore bleak for McCarthy in Minnesota, a straight up swap of the QBs could make sense on both sides.
Trade Swap of JJ McCarthy, Anthony Richardson Makes Sense for Both Vikings, Colts
Anthony Richardson, Colts
GettyQuarterback Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts.
Ironically, it was O’Connell and the Vikings allowing Daniel Jones to walk following the 2024 campaign that led to Jones landing with the Colts, taking Richardson’s starting job last preseason and earning a two-year extension worth $88 million from the franchise this month despite tearing his Achilles tendon midway through the campaign.
Indianapolis won’t have Jones back for Week 1, and maybe not until well into the season, so the franchise is in the market for a QB. The Colts know Richardson doesn’t work for them, but McCarthy perhaps could. Injuries have robbed him of 24 games over his first two NFL seasons, but there is an argument that plenty of untapped potential still exists in the fiery 23-year-old.
He can’t realize that potential in Minnesota if Murray is the starter, but McCarthy would at least get a shot with some meaningful runway in he ended up in Indianapolis this season.
Vikings Can Take Second Big QB Swing at Low Risk by Trading for Anthony Richardson
Kyler Murray
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray.
McCarthy would cost the Colts $2.8 million in 2026, while Richardson would cost the Vikings $5.4 million. If the teams swap the two recent top-10 draft picks for one other, then no draft compensation need go out the door on either side.
The deal, in other words, is as inexpensive as it is feasible for both the Vikings and Colts. Alec Lewis of The Athletic suggested a potential Minnesota-Indianapolis trade for Richardson last week when noting that the Vikings are almost certain to add a third QB to the roster alongside Murray and McCarthy.
“Because O’Connell loves a quarterback project, it’s also difficult to rule out former highly-drafted options like Anthony Richardson and Zach Wilson,” Lewis wrote. “Richardson, specifically, intrigued the Vikings before the 2024 draft. His time with the Colts appears to have come to an end.”
An established veteran, such as Carson Wentz, might make more sense than Richardson, which Lewis noted while reporting “mutual interest” between Wentz and the Vikings in a reunion next season. However, Minnesota could still bring in a player like Wentz as insurance if the franchise trades McCarthy for Richardson and starts Murray Week 1.
Richardson would find a soft landing spot with the Vikings away from pressure and with the ability to develop his elite and unteachable athletic skill set under O’Connell’s tutelage.
Minnesota could walk away after 2026 if it doesn’t work and let Richardson hit free agency. But Richardson could also end up a successor to Murray the latter departs next March for whatever reason. Thus, a Richardson trade essentially represents a second swing at a longterm QB solution for the Vikings, Murray being the first, and comes with a net zero risk.