When the Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, people liked what they saw from him in his debut, given the extremely small sample size, but the team found success with Sam Darnold that season.
That offseason, they let Darnold go to Seattle, and we all know what happened there. His performance was underwhelming, and bringing in Kyler Murray is certainly an unexpected shakeup. If Kevin O’Connell is losing faith in the 23-year-old signal-caller, here are a few teams that may want to foster his development.
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland trades a 2026 third-round pick (No. 70 overall) and a 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 149 overall) to Minnesota for McCarthy.
While the Browns picked a pair of quarterbacks in last year’s draft and still have Deshaun Watson under contract, it is clear they are looking for someone to come in and run away with the job. It seems like the Browns didn’t want to invest a first-round pick in the position, but getting a first-round quarterback at pennies on the dollar in terms of draft stock may make them buyers for McCarthy.
McCarthy’s QB Impact Score last season was 64.5, resulting in a D grade. While this is a far cry from where his expectations are, he still cleared Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel by a wide margin in that category.
New York Jets
New York trades a 2026 second-round pick (No. 44 overall) to Minnesota for McCarthy and a 2026 third-round pick (No. 97 overall).
Will the reunion with Geno Smith result in success for the Jets? Maybe, but with an aging quarterback who has had his share of injuries, bringing in a backup with more upside than Brady Cook can make an injury not devastating for the Jets.
They would be able to focus on other positions with their higher draft picks and still bring in a hungry McCarthy, who could very well win the starting job over Smith.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona trades a 2026 third-round pick (No. 65 overall) and a 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 143 overall) to Minnesota for McCarthy.
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With a new head coach and Murray in Minnesota, it remains to be seen what the Cardinals do at the quarterback position. Bringing McCarthy into that offense with those weapons around him could allow the Cardinals to focus on another position in the first round and help them be better overall.
