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Quarterback JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
JJ McCarthy‘s time with the Minnesota Vikings could be finished after the franchise inked veteran quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz inside the first two weeks of NFL free agency.
If McCarthy is, in fact, headed to the No. 3 spot on the depth chart, which team insider Judd Zulgad predicted following the Wentz signing on Thursday, March 19, it might be smarter for the Vikings to shop him now will he still has some nominal value.
The other choice is to simply bury him beneath one player in Murray looking for a career renaissance under head coach Kevin O’Connell and another in Wentz who is hanging in the league for however long he has left as mercenary backup QB.
There are a few teams that make sense as McCarthy trade suitors, including the Cleveland Browns, who have 10 draft picks to their name. Three of those are in the fifth round (pick Nos. 141, 146 and 149).
A deal flipping the 141st pick for McCarthy would be ceding defeat in the team’s plan to make him the starter after selecting him No. 11 in 2024. However, the Vikings already fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the former GM and driving force behind that decision, while O’Connell has been a party to both the acquisition of Murray and reunion with Wentz.
History Suggests JJ McCarthy’s Trade Value Ballparks at 5th-Round Pick
JJ McCarthy, Vikings
GettyQuarterback JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Zulgad explained the logic behind his projection that Minnesota’s move to acquire Wentz probably means McCarthy will enter training camp as the team’s QB3.
“The Vikings have been attempting to tell everyone that Murray would compete for the job, and up to this point the assumption was that battle would be with J.J. McCarthy,” Zulgad wrote. “That would leave Wentz as the No. 3 quarterback, and it’s difficult to believe he signed on March 19 to accept a role as the backup to the backup. It’s more likely that Murray will open training camp as the starter with Wentz behind him.”
A fifth-round pick has been a common compensation package for failed first-round QBs in the past. For instance, the Browns sent one to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kenny Pickett (the No. 20 overall selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022) last offseason and got one from the Las Vegas Raiders for Pickett last summer.
Browns, Cardinals Can Both Offer JJ McCarthy Legitimate Shot at QB1 Job Next Season
Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
If McCarthy dips to QB3 and doesn’t appear likely to move up, it would be hard to imagine his representation won’t push for a trade out of Minnesota.
He posted a mark of 6-4 as the Vikings’ starter last season, throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 TDs and 12 INTs in his first 10 games as a pro. McCarthy will play next year at just 23.
The battle for the starting job in Cleveland currently consists of Sheduer Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel — none of whom have ever played for new head coach Todd Monken. McCarthy would have both a clean slate and a real shot to get on the field there by Week 1.
The Arizona Cardinals could also be a match for McCarthy after releasing Murray and paying him well over $35 million to play for the Vikings this season. Gardner Minshew is currently on the Cardinals’ roster on a one-year deal, likely as a placeholder until they draft a rookie next spring.
McCarthy would compete with Minshew for the QB1 job, and the Cardinals could keep their budget for the top two spots under $11 million in 2026, a figure the team can afford after paying Murray so much to leave in free agency.