The Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback situation is one of the biggest spectacles of this upcoming offseason as the pivot off Kirk Cousins has made way for even more possibilities.
The Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy 10th overall to be their future franchise quarterback. For that plan to take place, McCarthy has to play at some point.
However, Sam Darnold has Minnesota living in the now and has made the prospect of letting him go look ridiculous. He earned his first Pro Bowl nod this week after surpassing 4,000 passing yards and throwing 35 touchdowns to the tune of 14 wins entering the final game of the regular season.
As the prospect of Darnold staying with the Vikings beyond this season looks more realistic, trade theories have surfaced since ESPN’s Adam Schefter guaranteed that the Vikings will listen to trade calls for McCarthy. That doesn’t mean there will be any response other than the click of the Vikings hanging up the phone.
Regardless, FanDuel Sportsbook’s social media team got to work on a trade proposal with the New York Jets that was subject to a fanfare of chatter.
Here’s the deal:
Jets get:
- J.J. McCarthy
Vikings get:
- 2025 first-round pick (a projected top-10 pick)
- 2025 fourth-round pick
- 2027 second-round pick
- RB Braelon Allen (2024 fourth-round pick)
Jets, Vikings Fans React to J.J. McCarthy Trade Proposal
After nearly a million views on X (formerly Twitter), FanDuel’s trade proposal saw widespread reactions — largely against the move on both sides of the trade.
The consensus among Jets fans is that giving up their projected No. 7 overall pick is too rich for McCarthy, who has missed his entire rookie year after undergoing meniscus surgery.
The #7 pick, when he was drafted later than that a year ago, suffered a season ending injury, and the Vikings losing leverage by signing Darnold? Yeah okay.
Future first rounder, I could see it.
— Nathaniel ‘Nature’ Erdman (@Erdmanchargers) January 2, 2025
There’s a growing sentiment that McCarthy would be the top quarterback prospect in this year’s draft, which has driven up his value despite his injury. However, that’s not enough for many Jets fans.
why would the jets give up all of that for a guy who hasnt played a down in the nfl? sure he is better than whats in this years draft but thats to much#zelena
— corey (@nomansland314z) January 2, 2025
Even an Ohio State fan had to come to the defense of McCarthy, a rival Michigan product, that the Jets and McCarthy are not the right match.
“JJ McCarthy can be a good QB, but he needs to go into the right system,” the fan wrote. “The Jets have shown no capability of developing a QB.”
The Jets would set themselves back another 5 years
JJ McCarthy can be a good QB, but he needs to go into the right system
The Jets have shown no capability of developing a QB
— Ohio Divided (@BuckeyeNatty) January 2, 2025
Another fan echoed the same sentiment: “Would suck to have him end up like early Darnold.”
Would suck to have him end up like early Darnold.
— Dylan (@SavvySZN) January 3, 2025
While McCarthy’s value was subject to scrutiny by Jets fans, one Vikings fan squashed the trade for an opposing reason.
The fan shared a clip of head coach Kevin O’Connell, who praised McCarthy for the strides he made in his first offseason and called him the Vikings’ “young franchise quarterback” after McCarthy underwent season-ending surgery.
End of thread 🧵. pic.twitter.com/oCSduSPsy1
— Vision of Brooks (@sportsillusions) January 2, 2025
However, everybody has a price, and while McCarthy’s value is subjective until he plays in the NFL, some found the deal to be a steal for Minnesota.
The Vikings would make out like bandits.
— THE MULTICHAIN MAN (@thematicman) January 2, 2025
Overall, the trade proposal was widely scrutinized; with one fan summing up the genesis of the pitch best.
“It’s kinda early in the day to be drinking, right, FanDuel intern?”
It’s kinda early in the day to be drinking, right, FanDuel intern?
— MattChu101 (@CHEWYBARISTA) January 2, 2025
Vikings’ QB Options for 2025 and Beyond
GettyQuarterbacks J.J. McCarthy #9 and Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings have a bevy of routes they could go with their quarterback room in the coming years.
They can franchise tag Darnold and keep McCarthy and see how a second year with Darnold plays out. From there, Minnesota will be in the same situation in 2026, deciding whether to pivot to McCarthy or sign Darnold to a multi-year extension.
The Vikings could also sign Darnold to a multi-year extension this year and allow McCarthy to follow a similar development path as Jordan Love, who sat two years behind Aaron Rodgers before starting. A three-year deal with partial guarantees in the final couple of seasons would give the Vikings flexibility to pivot to McCarthy while he’s still on his rookie deal.
If the Vikings let Darnold walk, it’s assumed that Daniel Jones would re-sign with Minnesota and fill the Darnold role for the 2025 season as McCarthy nears full health and eventually takes the starting job.
The final option, and least probable unless a team makes a FanDuel-like offer, would be to keep Darnold extend Darnold and trade McCarthy.
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