J.J. McCarthy, Vikings
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy reacting in the middle of an NFL game.
If the New York Jets miss out on their intended quarterback during the 2026 NFL draft, they could pivot to a new direction.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report listed the Jets as a potential trade partner for a Minnesota Vikings J.J. McCarthy QB trade. The other potential trade partner he listed for the Vikings is the Arizona Cardinals.
The two teams that Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has been tied to the most are the Jets and the Cardinals.
Only one of those teams can land him. Whoever does land him wouldn’t be in the conversation to acquire McCarthy. This could prove to be a fallback plan for the loser of the Simpson sweepstakes.
Not the Worst Idea at the Right Price
If the Jets added McCarthy to the room behind Geno Smith, that would be interesting. Currently, the green and white don’t have a long-term QB answer on the roster.
If they swing and miss on their intended quarterback targets in the draft, adding McCarthy wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. However, it would have to be at the right price
McCarthy, 23, entered the league as the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
The Jets originally held the No. 10 overall pick in that draft, but they traded it to the Vikings so they could move up to select McCarthy. Gang Green ended up taking Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu at the No. 11 overall spot.
McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus he suffered in the preseason. This past year, he started in 10 games. With those opportunities, McCarthy completed 57.6% of his passes, threw for 1,632 passing yards, and had a 11 touchdown to 12 interception ratio.
There is no other way to slice it, McCarthy has been a big disappointment at the NFL level thus far. This offseason, the Vikings signed veteran passer Kyler Murray to a one-year veteran minimum deal.
The former No. 1 overall pick is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Vikings in 2026. That leaves McCarthy’s future with the Purple People Eaters very much in question.
Affordable Contract
McCarthy still has two cheap years remaining on his rookie contract:
2026: base salary $1.07 million
2027: base salary $1.19 million
After the 2026 season, the Vikings or whatever team controls his rights will have to decide on his fifth-year team option. However, if McCarthy doesn’t show significant improvement this season, then that option will be declined, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2028.
Davenport speculated in his Bleacher Report column that maybe a team would be willing to throw the Vikings “a second round pick.” There is no chance of that happening.
McCarthy, if he gets moved, will be traded for a day-three pick. In the best-case scenario, it’s a fifth-round pick, possibly a fourth, but the more likely trade price is a sixth- or seventh-round pick.
At that kind of value, what do you have to lose if you’re the Jets? It’s worth a kick of the tires. Will McCarthy be your young franchise quarterback for the next decade? Doubtful, but there is a non-zero chance of that happening.