The Minnesota Vikings will have a tough decision this offseason when it comes to the quarterback position.
Right now, Sam Darnold is making a major case to stay as the Vikings' starting quarterback. He has thrown for 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns, vaulting himself into the Most Valuable Player conversation. His emergence has made the Vikings' offseason decision difficult.
Waiting in the wings is the 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy. Unfortunately for him, McCarthy tore his meniscus in the first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. That gave Darnold the starting job this year and he hasn't looked back.
Adam Schefter's comments on the Vikings getting trade calls on J.J. McCarthy
Early on Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter made an appearance on ESPN radio where he opined about teams calling the Vikings with the intent of trading for McCarthy.
"In a limited quarterback draft class, where there are far more teams that need quarterbacks than quarterbacks who actually can step in right away, I definitely think teams will be checking in with the Vikings to see if they have any interest in trading J.J. McCarthy.
"If the Vikings decided that they wanted to trade him, which I don't know that they will, I believe they will get back everything they put into him and then some. It will be a [first-round pick] and then some."
That raised quite a stir on social media and rightfully so. The idea of trading McCarthy feels wild at this point. However, if the Vikings do keep Darnold, that does become a possibility.
Let's get down to brass tax. The idea of teams contacting the Vikings for McCarthy shouldn't come as a surprise if they keep Darnold. In fact, every team that needs a quarterback should be calling the Vikings about both of their quarterbacks.
However, this coming from Schefter now doesn't mean anything.
Here's the deal. Insiders like Schefter need to find stories to talk about. Of course, teams will call the Vikings about McCarthy. That's just good business. Right now, this is a non-story.
Schefter is essentially reporting what he expects to happen based on conversations in the league. It's not something to be concerned about right now as we head into the offseason.
Will it become a story? Honestly, yeah it likely will. Right now, it's not something worth concerning yourself over. Once we get closer to the start of free agency and the combine, then these stories will be worth monitoring. Until the Vikings choose a quarterback internally, these reports are going to be speculation.
Just enjoy the ride and the future will take care of itself.
