J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
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(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings could enter the preseason with JJ McCarthy slotted in to compete with Kyler Murray for the starting quarterback job, but the team could also have dealt the 23-year-old signal-caller to one of several potential trade suitors by then.
Unlike last season, when Minnesota limited its own options by letting Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones walk for better offers in free agency so it could clear the decks for McCarthy to start in his second NFL campaign, the Vikings have stacked the QB room with two veterans.
The team added Murray, a two-time Pro Bowler who will play at 29 years old in 2026, on a league minimum deal. Minnesota also brought back Carson Wentz, who is now in a much better position to contribute after spending a full year with the team in 2025 and starting five games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Wentz joined the roster in August 2025 to serve as McCarthy’s backup QB, which drew criticism from analysts based on the late timeline.
Judd Zulgad of SKOR North speculated last week that the timeline of Wentz’s addition this time around indicates bad news for McCarthy’s future in Minneapolis.
“It’s difficult to believe [Wentz] signed on March 19 to accept a role as the backup to the backup,” Zulgad wrote. “It’s more likely that Murray will open training camp as the starter with Wentz behind him.”
If that is the scenario, it is prudent to begin looking at which teams might want to trade a mid-round pick to take a flier on a player in McCarthy who went No. 10 overall just two drafts ago. One team that makes complete sense in that regard is the Pittsburgh Steelers, assuming Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return for his age-42 campaign.
Aaron Rodgers Has Not Committed to Return to Steelers, Rendering JJ McCarthy Viable Option
Pittsburgh Steelers
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers has not committed to returning to Pittsburgh after leading the team to a 10-7 record and the AFC North Division title in his first season with the team, immediately after which he suffered a blowout at the hands of the Houston Texans in Round 1 of the playoffs.
Longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin abruptly stepped down following that postseason defeat after nearly two decades at the helm, which was reportedly a tough blow for Rodgers and several of his teammates.
The four-time MVP quarterback has since spoken about his future, but just like last offseason he is in no rush to make a final call.
“I think there’s conversations to be had down the line, but right now, there hasn’t been any progressive conversations,” Rodgers said before addressing the team’s hiring of Mike McCarthy, his longtime head coach with the Green Bay Packers. “I love Mike, and Mike and I have kept some contact over the years.”
Steelers May Have to Seek Trade for Starting QB if Aaron Rodgers Retires
Pittsburgh Steelers
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers indicated heading into last season that 2025 was likely to be his last year. That is far from a certainty now, but his lack of urgency to sign in Pittsburgh makes an eventual QB trade all the more likely for the Steelers.
Top free agents, like Murray and Malik Willis, have found their homes for 2026. And while the discussion of who the best available quarterback is can always be a topic for debate, Kirk Cousins may well hold that mantle heading into his age-38 campaign.
Cousins is likely to hold out for a chance to start, and if he finds it somewhere, the Steelers’ only reasonable alternative to Rodgers will be a trade for a player who is either a proven veteran starter at the end of his career or a young guy with potentially untapped upside, and the latter option makes more sense for the team’s longterm future.
McCarthy defeated the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions on the road last season, and also had some moments down the stretch against a string of bad defenses. A fourth- or fifth-round pick may be worth it to the Steelers to take a swing on two cost-controlled seasons of McCarthy due to his rookie contract should Rodgers, who they want back, decide to retire.
“[The Steelers] don’t have any of the same doubts that might have existed last year about whether Rodgers had anything left in his 42-year-old tank,” Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac wrote Sunday.