There might be a surprising trade suitor for Vikings' J.J. McCarthy

As expected, the Minnesota Vikings turned to the veteran in their quarterback competition.

Kyler Murray will start the season as Kevin O'Connell's starting quarterback, with former No. 10 pick J.J. McCarthy as the primary backup. However, given how this situation has unfolded, some argue that McCarthy's days with the organization may be numbered.

Considering that, FanSided's Mark Powell made a case for a somewhat surprising trade partner — the Detroit Lions. 

The Lions could be interested in J.J. McCarthy

While in-division trades are rare and the Lions already have Jared Goff, they could certainly use an upgrade at QB2 after Teddy Bridgewater's sudden retirement.

“If the Lions didn’t play in the NFC North, then they’d be an obvious choice as a landing spot for McCarthy,” Powell wrote. “As productive as Jared Goff has been, he’s also in his early-30’s and has a potential out in 2028.”

That said, as bad as McCarthy was in his time in the Twin Cities, he's still a former first-round pick with two — potentially three — years left in his contract. As such, they might have to give up a third-round pick to get him back to Michigan. That's, of course, assuming they even have to bid against someone else or the Vikings aren't eager to move him right away.

“It helps that the Lions’ backup QB is now Josh Dobbs after Teddy Bridgewater retired for good this time. McCarthy would be a useful addition to the QB room on two fronts, then, but the Lions would have to overpay,” he added. 

Goff is the Lions' guy, and he's still signed through the 2028 season. That said, he's also been tabbed as the team's weakest link, and they might have someone to work with and develop as his replacement when the time comes. Whatever the case, it's hard to envision McCarthy staying in Minneapolis for much longer.