Although former Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy has yet to play in an NFL regular-season game, he appears to have the Minnesota Vikings’ starting job locked up.
Barring a surprise signing of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, the Vikings’ fanbase is anticipating McCarthy to take snaps in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Despite no statistics or film supporting it, the public’s opinion of McCarthy only grew stronger throughout the 2024 campaign.
However, the trade block is home to an experienced signal-caller and former top-10 pick, who could threaten McCarthy’s hold on the QB 1 spot.
Vikings Predicted To Trade for Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts to back up inconsistent QB Anthony Richardson after performing as the New York Giants’ starter for six seasons. No one is quite sure how Richardson will play in his third NFL season, leaving Jones’ future in Indianapolis just as uncertain.
ClutchPoints’ predicts the Vikings will surprisingly acquire Jones in a trade with the Colts, putting unforeseen pressure on McCarthy.
“No, [Sam] Darnold was not going to start for the Vikings this season. But his departure leaves the Vikings with Sam Howell as the backup,” RB Hayek wrote. “While Howell has started before, there could be better options in case McCarthy suffers another injury.”
It’s important to note Jones was on the Vikings’ roster last season, but he opted to sign in Indianapolis rather than remaining in Minnesota. So it’s a bit strange to assume the Vikings would trade for him once again in a short time frame, but if he’s on the block and the Vikings need help, Jones is familiar with their system.
Darnold led Minnesota to an impressive 14-3 record last regular season before their offense crumbled early in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams. No one expects the 22-year-old McCarthy to lead the Vikings to such a high-win year, but upholding their No. 13 offense, per PFSN, is a different story.
With a receiving room of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson, there’s no reason for a serious statistical decline.
“Daniel Jones inked a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts to become their backup quarterback. If the Colts’ season goes south, they may either turn to Jones or outright trade him. The Vikings are committed to McCarthy, as they should be. However, they might need to upgrade at this position if anything happens to McCarthy,” the author concluded.
If the expectations are low and the weapons around McCarthy are strong, why does Jones joining the QB room pose any level of threat to McCarthy being the Week 1 starter?
McCarthy’s failure to impress the coaching staff in training camp and preseason could lead to doubts about his readiness to start. If Jones is on their roster at that point, the Vikings could view him as a short-term starter while McCarthy continues to ramp up from a rookie campaign in which he was stuck watching from the sideline.
While Jones doesn’t hold anywhere near the same amount of upside as McCarthy, he’s a stronger backup than Howell and can start for a few weeks if necessary.
I beg the question if this was an AI generated article. Because the Vikings already had Daniel Jone on they’re roster last year and the article makes no mention of it. It would seem silly to think a team would no resign a potential trade target if they were able to resign im him first and then afterwards make a trade at the draft for a backup QB that wasn’t Daniel Jones. Lazy journalism.