The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly considering moving off a player who could draw interest from the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.
According to Packers Report’s Easton Butler, the Vikings are receiving trade calls on J.J. McCarthy and the team is “considering moving on from the young QB.”
“Teams are calling Minnesota about the availability of QB JJ McCarthy, with the Vikings considering moving the young QB,” Butler reported.
Minnesota is rumored to be in the market for a veteran quarterback in 2026, and with ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reporting that “all bets are off” when it comes to his future in Minnesota, it’s possible the Vikings add one who replaces McCarthy following his failed first season as a starter.
If that happens, there’s a good chance the Vikings will look to trade McCarthy, who wouldn’t have much of a future in Minnesota if he’s replaced.
The Browns, Jets, Dolphins and Cardinals are all in a similar boat at quarterback, as none of the four teams have a locked-in long-term solution, and all are rebuilding.
The Browns’ quarterbacks room is crowded with Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. Perhaps Cleveland can unload one of those young signal-callers in a package for McCarthy, who would give a little extra hope for the future.
New York is back to the drawing board at quarterback in 2026 because of the failed Justin Fields experiment, and Brady Cook is the only young signal-caller on the roster.
With a weak quarterback class in the 2026 NFL draft, it makes sense for the Jets to take a swing on McCarthy to bridge the gap to a stronger 2027 class while also giving themselves some hope for the future under center.
The Cardinals have reportedly told Kyler Murray he will be released, and the same outcome is expected for Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. Those moves would leave the Dolphins and Cardinals with Quinn Ewers and Jacoby Brissett, respectively.
An aging Brissett doesn’t offer much hope for the future, and the jury is still very much out on Ewers, who is also now playing under a regime that didn’t draft him.
The Cardinals and Dolphins have both been heavily linked to Malik Willis, and that makes sense. However, someone is going to miss out on the Green Bay Packers pending free agent and the loser could turn to a trade for McCarthy instead of choosing to wade the waters of a shaky quarterback class in the draft.
