Sam Darnold had the season of his life for the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, which has opened the door to the franchise trading quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
There are three possible outcomes for the Vikings under center, all of which are feasible. They include Darnold starting next year and McCarthy playing elsewhere, McCarthy beginning the 2025 campaign under center and Darnold playing for another team, or both quarterbacks back in Minnesota on a one-year basis.
Each solution has its plusses and minuses, knowns and unknowns, and significant salary cap implications. However, there’s only one path by which the Vikings run out a potentially elite signal-caller under center and also replenish what is a severely depleted 2025 NFL draft class — dealing McCarthy to one of the handful of QB-needy franchises hunting a player exactly like him this offseason.
In our trade proposal, the Vikings zero in on the Las Vegas Raiders and their No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft. That selection serves as the centerpiece of a deal that sends McCarthy to the desert and arrives in Minnesota accompanied by the Raiders’ third-round pick (No. 68) as part of the package.
Sam Darnold Options Afford Vikings Leverage in J.J. McCarthy Trade Talks
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
While a first and a third are quite the haul for McCarthy, the Vikings are holding all the leverage.
First, they can hold out for the best offer on McCarthy because they have a proven commodity in Darnold who threw for more than 4,300 yards and 35 TDs as a 27-year-old last season. Minnesota can go so far as to extend Darnold and keep both players on the roster until the mid-season trade deadline, as injuries stack up and other QBs fall short of their team’s projections — all the while the market for a 22-year-old former top-10 pick in McCarthy increases.
Secondly, the trade market is already strong for McCarthy despite him missing his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury. That’s because the free agent market is weak, and will only get weaker if Minnesota holds onto Darnold who will be the top QB available if he hits free agency in March.
This draft class is also weak at quarterback, as only Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Cam Ward of Miami possess first-round grades based on the assessments of most analysts.
J.J. McCarthy Arguably Best QB Available if Vikings Put Him on Trade Block
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Both Adam Schefter and Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN projected in January that McCarthy is worth a first-round pick and then some if the Vikings shop him in the coming weeks.
“[Minnesota] only having a first and two fifths, they may say, ‘Hey, if we can get three draft picks for J.J. McCarthy, maybe let’s do it,’” Kiper said. “McCarthy is a year younger than Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. He’s coming off the injury, but he’s a kid if you look at his grade last year compared to this year with the quarterbacks, he’d be the No. 1 guy.”
The Vikings have just their first-round pick (No. 24) and two fifth-rounders (Nos. 140 and 161), plus a compensatory fourth-round selection (No. 97) in this draft. Adding Nos. 6 and 68 by flipping McCarthy to the Raiders turns a weak draft into a stockpile of picks for Minnesota to rebuild its secondary and fortify the interior of the offensive line with young talent on inexpensive rookie contracts.
The deal also makes sense for the Raiders, as they lock up a quarterback who would have the best draft grade in 2025 and also has a higher ceiling than anyone available in free agency.
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