The Minnesota Vikings have reason for real optimism regarding JJ McCarthy’s progress and production over the past two weeks, but three games remain before an offseason in which the team is certainly going to consider alternative options to the 22-year-old QB.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on Wednesday, December 17 named the Vikings first among top potential landing spots for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
“The quarterback trade market is worth watching, particularly with supply failing to meet the demand once again,” Fowler wrote. “This leads to a conversation on Kyler Murray, whom the Cardinals are subtly — or quite obviously — trying to stash to preserve his health for a potential trade this offseason.”
“Does a safe landing spot exist for Murray?” Fowler continued. “Working with, say, Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota would be ideal, but JJ McCarthy has shown improvement over the past two weeks.”
Kyler Murray Could Put Vikings in Super Bowl Hunt Next Season
GettyArizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Murray is under contract through 2028 on a $230.5 million deal, though the final season of that agreement is a club option. Thus, Minnesota would be assuming two years of financial responsibility for Murray were the team to trade for him in the spring.
Fowler noted that the 28-year-old Murray has $37 million in guaranteed money for next season, but “isn’t far removed from fringe top-10-QB status.”
It is somewhat difficult to envision the Vikings making such a drastic move if McCarthy doesn’t regress to his mid-season form over the final three games of the season, which seems less likely as he continues to get more experience just eight starts into his NFL career.
That said, Minnesota still hasn’t looked like anything close to a team consistent enough to make a serious challenge to the top of the NFC with McCarthy under center.
Meanwhile, Murray is a two-time Pro Bowler with 20,460 passing yards, 121 TDs and 60 INTs on his career resumé (87 games/starts across seven seasons). Murray has also rushed the football for 3,193 yards and 32 scores at a clip of 6.0 yards per carry over the course of his career.
Kyler Murray’s Price Compared to JJ McCarthy’s Progress Creates Difficult Math for Vikings Moving Forward
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
That kind of production, if translated to O’Connell’s system with the offensive skill players the Vikings have built around the quarterback position, could viably put Minnesota right back into Super Bowl contention in 2026.
Sam Darnold — while possessing a very different skill set from Murray, but also far less professional success heading into the 2024 campaign — led the Vikings to a 14-3 record and fell one win shy of the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a bye through the opening weekend of the playoffs.
A huge leap from McCarthy could theoretically get the Vikings back there next season, though a healthy Murray would be a far more likely candidate to help the team compete at the highest levels of the league immediately.
Healthy, however, is the key word. Murray has played in just five games this season, though probably could have played more if the Cardinals weren’t preserving his health in preparation for a trade. But he missed nine contests in 2023, six games in 2022 and three outings in 2021.
There is also the reality that Minnesota is facing a $36 million salary cap deficit next year, so making a trade that would probably cost multiple first-round draft picks to bring in an expensive QB with a questionable injury history would be a risky move, to say the least.
If the Vikings believe Murray can lead them to a Super Bowl, then that decision is always the right one in a vacuum. However, McCarthy’s annual average salary is just over $5 million, so Minnesota must be sure it is ready to move on from the former No. 10 overall pick before spending big money on a replacement.
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