With a little over a month left until the new league year starts, the football world is collectively holding its breath to see how the offseason shakes out.
One of the biggest decisions that will be answered early is what the Minnesota Vikings intend to do at the quarterback position.
Sam Darnold was a revelation last season, but his final two games against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams left much to be desired. The team also drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, but a torn meniscus ended his rookie season before it even began.
As such, the Vikings are forced to make a decision between re-signing a quarterback who performed better than anticipated, or sticking with their guns and rolling with McCarthy and possibly Daniel Jones.
Whatever path the Vikings take will carry heavy implication for the rest of the offseason, with the Las Vegas Raiders among the teams most affected.
The Raiders are desperate for a quarterback, but having the sixth overall pick makes it difficult for them to acquire a top prospect like Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. As a result, they will have serious interest in whoever the Vikings choose to let go.
Bleacher Report’s scouting department gave their input on the matter, suggesting a trade where the Raiders send the sixth overall pick to Minnesota in exchange for McCarthy.
“The Vikings have the lowest investment in this year’s draft with just four total picks and two in the top 100. They could change that quickly if they were willing to trade McCarthy,” Bleacher Report reasoned.
“The Michigan quarterback might have been the top quarterback prospect in this class, and he was only 21 when he was drafted. In this deal, the Raiders could simply use their sixth overall selection to draft a quarterback who may be better than any passer in this draft, and the Vikings get a chance to add a difference-maker to their promising roster.”
While much of the hype with the Raiders’ quarterback situation has been around Sanders, in large part due to his connection with minority owner Tom Brady, McCarthy also has a connection with the future Hall of Famer.
With McCarthy hailing from Brady’s alma mater at the University of Michigan, Brady would likely sign off on a move bringing in the former Wolverine.
Meanwhile, Minnesota ensures some stability with Darnold, as well as use the sixth overall pick on someone at a position of need like Michigan cornerback Will Johnson.
The only question for the Vikings is whether or not they are eager to scrap their succession plan after Darnold’s poor close to the season. Sure, they can opt into another quality prospect if Darnold struggles again, but going through the hassle of scouting for another franchise quarterback feels unnecessary.
The odds of the Raiders landing McCarthy are not particularly strong, but expect them to give the Vikings a call to see what can be done.
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