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Trade rumors surrounding Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy have intensified following a wave of injuries to starting quarterbacks across the NFL in Week 2. The Washington Commanders lost Jayden Daniels, the New York Giants lost Jaxson Dart, and the Atlanta Falcons have struggled with inconsistent play at the position.
With Kyler Murray back from concussion protocol, McCarthy is now third on the depth chart, behind Carson Wentz. This has led to questions about whether the Vikings would entertain offers for the young signal-caller.
Insider Update
NFL insider Tom Pelissero provided insight during a September 23 appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. He noted that the Vikings have Carson Wentz as their backup, so they are not overly concerned about depth. However, Pelissero believes there is a price at which Minnesota would be willing to move on from McCarthy.
"You do have J.J. McCarthy," Pelissero said. "That one's probably a little bit different, where Minnesota has Carson Wentz there. He was [QB2] going into the season. I don't know that they're really all that concerned necessarily, even though Kevin O'Connell said over and over, 'We've seen we need three, if not four, quarterbacks here.' But there's a price at which I believe that they would be willing to move on from J.J. McCarthy."
Potential Suitors
On the September 23 edition of Get Up, host Mike Greenberg suggested the Giants would benefit from having McCarthy on their roster, especially with Dart set to undergo season-ending knee surgery. Greenberg theorized that McCarthy could play well and then become a trade asset, but he cautioned that the Giants should not give up on Dart.
"J.J. McCarthy, in theory, could come to the Giants, play well, and then have trade value somewhere else," Greenberg said. "He could still be Jaxson Dart's team. J.J. McCarthy would have to play really well for you to start considering, well, maybe we actually consider him over Jaxson Dart. That would be a better problem to have than I'm staring at 15 unwinnable games. I'm not moving on from Jaxson Dart if I'm the Giants. I think that kid is fantastic."
Recently, Adam Carlson of Minnesota Vikings on SI listed a couple of potential destinations for McCarthy, including the 0-2 Falcons. Atlanta named Michael Penix Jr. its starter for Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers, but if he struggles, the team might explore external options. Carlson wrote in a September 20 article that neither Tua Tagovailoa nor Penix should be trusted to play a full season, and that Cooper Rush does not provide the depth needed to win games.
In his rookie season (after missing all of 2024), McCarthy recorded a passer rating of 72.6 with 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games, per StatMuse.
Originally reported by yahoo.