Would Vikings consider trading J.J. McCarthy despite comments about competing with Kyler Murray?

Shortly after the Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kyler Murray to a team-friendly one-year contract, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell suggested that Murray and 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy will compete for the starting job this summer. 

Nevertheless, some members of the NFL community are convinced that it's a matter of when and not if the Vikings will trade McCarthy this offseason. 

For a piece published on Friday, Vikings reporter Alec Lewis of The Athletic addressed the trade rumors that may hover over the franchise throughout the spring and summer months. 

Have Vikings "ruled out" trading J.J. McCarthy?

"This cannot be completely ruled out," Lewis said about the Vikings possibly accepting a draft asset or two in return for McCarthy. "Two factors matter in the overall calculus: How perturbed are McCarthy and his camp by the Murray signing? And what would other teams offer?"

During his Thursday comments, O'Connell revealed that he had spoken with McCarthy about acquiring a signal-caller such as Murray. O'Connell added that he is "really proud" of how McCarthy has thus far responded to what could become an awkward situation for everybody involved. 

Meanwhile, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted that the Vikings acquiring Murray is "essentially a challenge that’ll either set [McCarthy's] career back or ignite him and position the 23-year-old as Minnesota’s man for the future." 

"The honeymoon for the former first-round pick is over, and we’ll see how he responds," Breer continued. 

Multiple injury setbacks limited McCarthy to just 10 regular-season starts, many of which were unspectacular, over his first two pro campaigns. He also reportedly struggled to learn all of O'Connell's playbook and with "the challenge posed by some of the more elemental aspects of being the face of a franchise." 

Why Vikings may, may not trade J.J. McCarthy this offseason

"McCarthy seeking another destination could introduce a different layer of decision-making," Lewis explained. "Minnesota likes to respond amicably to players’ desires. ...But leverage tends to matter in these situations, too, and McCarthy remains under contract for at least two more seasons." 

It also matters that McCarthy's value as a tradable asset is likely much lower than it would have been 12 months ago had the Vikings held onto recently crowned Super Bowl champion quarterback Sam Darnold. According to Lewis, "McCarthy is perceived as a sizable project," and other teams are aware "of the hurdles McCarthy has faced in his first two seasons." 

In short, it sounds like McCarthy won't be going anywhere anytime soon unless he makes it known that he doesn't want to compete with Murray. Such a declaration would likely only decrease his trade value and make it seem as if he feels he would begin the 2026 season as Murray's primary backup.