Thielen Backs J.J. McCarthy, Leber Wonders About Trade Compensation

What does the future hold for J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota? That's the question swirling around the Vikings' offseason right now.

The notion of McCarthy being in a genuine competition with Kyler Murray for the QB1 role has started to fade a bit during OTAs. And if McCarthy is going to be QB2 or perhaps even QB3 behind Carson Wentz, the question becomes whether the Vikings should keep him around or consider trading him, especially considering the awkwardness of his response to a question about his relationship with Murray a couple weeks ago.

There are new takes on McCarthy emerging seemingly every single day. Let's take a look at some of the latest thoughts on the former No. 10 overall pick and his future.

Thielen backs McCarthy

Former Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, who has trained with McCarthy and spent three months as his teammate last year, still believes in the 23-year-old.

"He's got all the traits to be a successful quarterback in this league," Thielen said on Good Morning Football. "He has the skills. He has the strong arm. He has the mindset that not a lot of guys have, has this dog mentality that everyone wants to find. ... So I love those two aspects of him. I think he's a guy who loves football he loves his teammates. You feel that in the locker room with him.

"Now, was there some things that he needs to work on? Yes. Absolutely. He knows that. And I think he's gone to the drawing board this offseason, I think he's taken feedback from coach (O'Connell), and coach I think was very candid with him of 'This is what you need to improve on.' And I think he's gone to the drawing board and really worked on those things. I think you have to wait and see what that looks like in training camp, when you put the pads on, when you put a full defense coming at him, with preseason games and things like that. But I think he's gonna step in the right direction."

Leber wonders about a trade

In an appearance last week on KFAN Radio, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero changed his tune about McCarthy and the Vikings' quarterback room. Pelissero had been, for weeks and weeks, relentlessly pushing the idea that a legitimate competition was going to take place between Murray and McCarthy. But last Thursday, he relented on that notion and even threw out the idea of the Vikings trading their young QB.

On Monday, KFAN's Ben Leber had some thoughts on the possibility of a McCarthy trade and what the compensation might look like if the Vikings go down that road.

"I think third-rounder would feel really good," Leber said. "My guess is fourth round is probably more accurate. But it all depends on team need and situation. If it comes down to, we're in the second week of training camp and some team, because of injury, really needs somebody — and maybe not for this year, but like 'Oh boy, we need a competent backup' — they might give up a fourth-rounder for him or a third-rounder for him."

Leber also noted that the trade compensation might go even lower if it's the Vikings who are actively seeking a trade for McCarthy, given that their leverage would be diminished in that scenario.

"But I think if you're just willy nilly, at the end of training camp, and you're like 'Listen, we just need to move on, Carson's gonna be our backup, and we just don't want to deal with J.J. as the third quarterback and what that would cause potentially in the locker room,' if you feel like you have to give him away and you're making the phone calls — you don't hold the cards, you don't have the negotiation power if you're making the phone calls versus people calling you," he said.

As for the general idea of whether or not McCarthy will be traded, Leber said he thought the Pelissero interview was eye-opening.

"Your guys' interview with Pelissero kind of says it all," he said. "That has been the turning point in my narrative and the way I look at this and projecting how this may go. Tom is one of the best, if not the best NFL national reporter in the league. We all know that he has ties to the Minnesota Vikings. And he just doesn't throw stuff out there like that, just for fun. He doesn't do that. And so for him to drop that little hint, that little nugget, makes me think that there's a little smoke there. And if there's a little smoke there, what's that going to turn into?

"Not to say that it can't be put out, that flame be put out, and not to say that things can't be mended and fixed. And who knows? If this competition, whether it's real or not, if J.J. really is progressing on the field and he starts turning heads again and it's like a true competition, then I think he sticks around. But I think it's something to watch, for sure."