Shortly after the Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kyler Murray to a team-friendly one-year contract in March, rumors surfaced suggesting the Vikings could make 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy available to other teams and that McCarthy could ask to receive a fresh start elsewhere.
For a piece published on Thursday night, NFL reporter Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports shared some bad news for McCarthy regarding the 23-year-old’s short-term future.
How other teams view J.J. McCarthy heading into NFL Draft
“I don’t think the Vikings are really trying to have a quarterback competition between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray,” Robinson wrote. “I don’t think McCarthy’s trade value is going to go anywhere but down from here. If the Vikings are eventually going to deal him, this is the window — either during this draft or afterward — with a team that is looking for a young developmental backup. This is going to become an Anthony Richardson/Zach Wilson scenario quickly, where there is just no value to be had from a former high draft pick.”
The Indianapolis Colts seemingly can’t get anything of value for Richardson’s services this spring. Back in April 2024, the New York Jets traded Wilson (the second overall pick of the 2021 draft) and a 2024 seventh-round choice to the Denver Broncos for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Injuries limited McCarthy to just 10 regular-season starts over his first two pro seasons. Additionally, he reportedly struggled to learn all of the playbook last year and also had problems dealing with “the challenge posed by some of the more elemental aspects of being the face of a franchise.”
That said, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell insisted earlier this spring that he still wants to give McCarthy a chance to “compete” and see where the signal-caller “could take this thing.”
Why J.J. McCarthy may want to get traded this offseason
“Malik Willis’ starting career looked like it was torched after his first two years with the Tennessee Titans, but he landed in the right place in Green Bay and turned it around,” Robinson added. “McCarthy needs that kind of new start. If they can get a look at a guy at a reasonable price, teams will deal for quarterbacks if they haven’t completely gone off a cliff yet.”
The problem is that it sounds like no team wants to spend anything of note to get a good look at McCarthy this summer. Thus, he may need to become a revelation and outperform Murray from the start of training camp through the end of the preseason to receive an opportunity to impress this coming fall.
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