Once considered a bridge quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, Sam Darnold has put J.J. McCarthy‘s future with the team in question amid an undeniably successful season.

While Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said back in August that McCarthy is the team’s “young, franchise quarterback,” Darnold’s career resurgence, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns to the tune of a 14-2 record with one game remaining, has raised signals around the NFL that McCarthy could be a trade target in the offseason.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on Wednesday, January 1, that he full-heartedly believes that teams will inquire about McCarthy given a lackluster upcoming quarterback draft class.

“In a limited quarterback draft class, where there are far more teams that need quarterbacks than there are 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 JJ McCarthy,” Schefter said on ESPN Radio. “Now, they may say ‘we don’t’, and that’s the end of it. But do I think teams will explore that option? Of course. Absolutely. 100%.”

The Vikings, which hold only three draft picks in the 2025 draft, could use extra draft capital to fortify a team that has emerged with a ready-to-win roster with Darnold.

Schefter said that Minnesota could land a first-round pick and additional draft capital for McCarthy — which would be a win after the Vikings drafted him 10th overall in April.

“Because J.J. McCarthy would have been a top, if not the top quarterback prospect in this draft,” Schefter added, acknowledging that McCarthy’s knee surgery is a misnomer for his trade value. “If the Vikings decided they wanted to trade him — 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.”

Vikings Change Tone on Sam Darnold’s Future

While the consensus through even the first half of the season was that the Vikings would move on from Darnold after this year, the tone has shifted in recent weeks.

The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported on December 28 that the Vikings want him back for the 2025 season. It’s the first national report that has differed from the original plan hatched when Minnesota signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal in March.

However, the Vikings also said they wanted Kirk Cousins back, but on the terms of a contract that would not hamper the franchise. This could be the same case with Darnold next offseason, who is pushing to land the largest quarterback contract in free agency.

The cost of matching an offer for Darnold would hinder the Vikings’ ability to refresh a roster with 27 impending free agents.

But for now, Minnesota is on the verge of a playoff berth and potentially the No. 1 seed in the NFC, has given Darnold the full vote of confidence that he is playing at a level that could even force their hand at signing him to a lucrative multi-year deal.

Vikings Coach Kevin O’Connell Remains Loyal to McCarthy

While the temperature on Darnold has changed dramatically over the past few months, O’Connell has maintained his support of McCarthy, which could override all Darnold buzz this offseason.

Throughout the Vikings’ quarterback evaluation over two seasons of scouting, O’Connell called himself the “quarterback killer,” often vetoing the rest of the organization’s approval of prospects.

McCarthy proved to get the final signature of approval from O’Connell, whose belief in the 21-year-old quarterback led the Vikings to trade up to land him 10th overall in April’s draft.

The Michigan product made significant strides in his first NFL offseason, enough so for O’Connell to dub him the Vikings’ franchise quarterback.

Unprompted in a news conference on Monday, O’Connell offered insight that McCarthy is “full speed” in quarterback meetings that are brimming with potential.

“I feel so fortunate to have J.J. back full speed in those meetings. You walk in and you got five NFL quarterbacks sitting there,” O’Connell said on December 30.