The Minnesota Vikings might have a quarterback problem, but it is the kind of problem most teams would love to have.
Kyler Murray has emerged as the “heavy favorite” to start Week 1 for the Vikings, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Murray has been taking roughly two-thirds of the first-team offensive reps during training camp, with JJ McCarthy spending most of his time with the second team. That gap has widened as camp has progressed.
Which raises the obvious question: what happens with McCarthy?
The former Michigan quarterback was Minnesota’s first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury. He then spent last year working back into game shape, but his 2025 performance was uneven, and the Vikings brought in Murray this offseason to compete for the starting job.
That competition appears to be over, at least for Week 1. And if Murray is the starter, McCarthy becomes a valuable trade asset. He is a 22-year-old former first-round pick on a rookie contract, which is exactly the kind of profile every rebuilding team wants to acquire.
Multiple analysts have speculated that the Vikings could look to trade McCarthy for draft capital, especially if the coaching staff is committed to Murray as their starter and to giving him a real chance to run the offense. Kevin O’Connell has always preferred veterans who can run his system, and Murray has the mobility and quick-release skills to fit that offense.
The teams that make sense as McCarthy trade destinations are the ones with unsettled quarterback rooms. The New York Giants are still figuring out their long-term plan. The New Orleans Saints are aging out of Derek Carr’s contract. The Cleveland Browns are perpetually in quarterback purgatory. Any of those franchises would jump at the chance to add a young, cheap quarterback with first-round pedigree.
The Vikings would probably want a first-round pick and change for McCarthy, though realistically they might have to accept less given his limited playing time and injury history. A second-round pick with additional draft capital in a package deal is probably closer to the real market price.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s front office has been aggressive with quarterback decisions since he arrived in Minnesota. He was the architect of the Kirk Cousins bridge, then the pivot to McCarthy in the 2024 draft, and now the addition of Murray as a veteran alternative. Adding to that pattern by moving McCarthy for draft capital would be very on-brand.
The counter-argument is patience. McCarthy is only 22. He has been through knee surgery and rehab. Quarterbacks develop at different rates, and giving him one more year as a backup could pay off in 2027 if Murray struggles or gets hurt. The Vikings could roll into next season with two viable quarterbacks and hedge their bets.
The problem with that approach is that Murray is here for the long run if he plays well. He is on a fresh contract that gives the Vikings cost certainty for the next few years. If Murray takes the reins and produces, McCarthy’s role never gets bigger, and his trade value decreases the longer he sits on the bench.
Timing matters. If Minnesota is going to move McCarthy, they should do it soon, either before Week 1 or during the season if a quarterback-desperate team makes a call. The longer he sits without playing meaningful snaps, the less any acquiring team will be willing to pay for him.
Watch the Vikings quarterback room carefully in the next few weeks. If Murray keeps taking every first-team rep, expect the McCarthy trade rumors to get louder. There is a deal to be made here, and Minnesota knows it.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
