The Las Vegas Raiders have won two consecutive games, which has knocked them out of the running for quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Cam Ward of Miami barring a blockbuster trade into the No. 1 overall pick.
But that may not be as bad as it sounds.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Wednesday, Jan. 1, that the Minnesota Vikings will receive inquiries on a trade for rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy -- the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
"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," Schefter told his ESPN colleague Courtney Cronin.
"JJ McCarthy would've been a top if not THE top QB in this draft."@AdamSchefter says teams will be calling the @Vikings to inquire about their rookie QB this offseason pic.twitter.com/ccgautztGb
— ESPN Radio (@ESPNRadio) January 1, 2025
Should the Vikings decide to extend Sam Darnold, who is just 27 years old, on a multiyear contract then it would make sense to explore trade offers for McCarthy.
Cronin mentioned the Raiders as the first of the potential suitors for McCarthy given the team's need under center and the fact that Las Vegas now owns the 8th pick in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft. The Raiders also have a winnable game in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers, who have already clinched a playoff spot and will only be playing for seeding purposes between the Nos. 5-7 spots in the AFC.
Regardless of where the Raiders pick in the first round, Schefter said that bringing McCarthy into the fold is likely to cost the team that selection, plus a little bit more.
"J.J. McCarthy would have been a top, if not the top, quarterback prospect in this draft. And yes, he's coming off the [knee injury], so what? It doesn't really matter," Schefter continued. "And if the Vikings decided that they wanted to trade him, which I don't know if they will, I believe they would get back everything they put into him and then some. It would be a [first-round pick] and then some."
McCarthy is actually younger than both Sanders and Ward, as he will turn 22 years old later this month, while both Sanders and Ward will turn 23 later this year.
McCarthy is on a four-year rookie contract in Minnesota worth just shy of $22 million total, which includes a fifth-year option for the 2028 campaign.
