The Minnesota Vikings have a logjam at quarterback. Usually that’s not a bad problem, but for them, they don’t quite know who their starting quarterback for the 2026 NFL season is going to be. That’s what makes it a problem for them. They signed Kyler Murray to a minimum contract, brought back Carson Wentz and still have J.J. McCarthy as well. The quarterback battle between Murray and McCarthy is sure to force the Vikings to make a decision.
If Murray wins the job, that all but seals McCarthy’s fate in Minnesota. The good thing for the Vikings is if they have to part ways with him, there will be quite a few teams that will be ready to pounce. With all the former top quarterback prospects that have shuffled over the years, the Vikings should take any one of these deals below to finally end the brief and disappointing McCarthy era in the Twin Cities.
New York Jets
The New York Jets really don’t have clarity on how they want to handle the future of the quarterback position in East Rutherford. They traded for Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders and drafted Cade Klubnik as a developmental project that will almost certainly get some playing time this year. Is McCarthy any better than either of them? Well, that’s a complicated question. But I wouldn’t put it past the desperate Jets to do just about anything they can to find their quarterback of the future.
The Jets are in full rebuild mode, so while they wouldn’t want to part ways with valuable draft capital, they could very well land McCarthy without having to give up too much. I think a top-100 pick is reasonable, but I wouldn’t give up more than a third-round pick. Yes, McCarthy was bad last year and despite it, the Vikings had a winning season. But the Jets don’t necessarily have the structure conducive to developing quarterbacks.
Pittsburgh Steelers
This is probably the most realistic option for a couple of reasons. For one, McCarthy could take this season and learn behind Aaron Rodgers, who announced the 2026 season will be his last in the NFL. He would get with a coach known for quarterback development like Mike McCarthy, and he’d have a decent supporting cast to work with. The Steelers feel like the best option simply because they’ve constantly repeated this cycle of playing out of a good draft spot, but not being good enough to win a championship.
McCarthy gives them a young quarterback to build around, while not wasting their first-round pick on a quarterback that could be a bust. McCarthy isn’t necessarily a bust yet, but he has a lot to prove. This feels like a low-risk, high-reward scenario. Even if it doesn’t work out, the Steelers aren’t really in the best position to seek a quarterback in this deep class. Now if things go awry for the Steelers this year, maybe that changes. But they’ve always won just enough to be out of contention for a good draft pick and landing McCarthy gives them a little bit of insurance under center in the future.
Arizona Cardinals
This would be an interesting move for the Arizona Cardinals. They are in the same boat as the New York Jets just with a little more stability. The Cardinals haven’t had much luck with first-round quarterbacks. Sure, Murray was the best one, but even he couldn’t finish his career there. Before that, it was Josh Rosen — and Matt Leinart before that. Do the Cardinals really want to waste a high pick on a quarterback when they’ve had a bad track record with rookie quarterbacks?
McCarthy becoming available could change things for them. Not that it would mean they’d abandon the 2027 quarterback class, but it would at least give them a player that if he shows enough potential this season, could be a building block for the future. After all, the Cardinals’ new coach is Mike LaFleur, who was under Sean McVay as an offensive coordinator. If there’s any coach that could get the most out of McCarthy, it would be LaFleur.
Kevin O’Connell is also part of the McVay coaching lineage, which adds more reason for the Cardinals to seriously consider this if McCarthy loses the job in Minnesota. Does that guarantee he’ll be successful? No. But it does give the Cardinals something to think about as they comb through all of their quarterback options.
Indianapolis Colts
This is by far the most intriguing mock trade on this list. The Indianapolis Colts are done with Anthony Richardson Sr. and the Vikings have been rumored to be interested in the former No. 4 overall pick. Are those rumors true? Well, that’s another discussion, but there could be a rare, backup quarterback swap between these two teams and it’s not that far-fetched. At the end of the day, the Colts do need a serviceable backup quarterback and McCarthy could be that.
Daniel Jones is the Colts’ guy, but he’s also coming off an Achilles injury. If he’s ailing to start the year or doesn’t quite play to the level he did pre-injury, McCarthy could save them from another failed season without a first-round pick. As for the Vikings, they get rid of a frustrated quarterback and bring in one they’ll have no choice but to be patient with. Richardson isn’t starting with his next team, at least right away.
Even if Murray is their interim option if he plays well in 2026, Richardson could be a player they have in their back pocket. Pairing Richardson with Kevin O’Connell and that offense is just about the only solution he has to an NFL future — though a move to the Green Bay Packers is equally intriguing. It’s rare to see teams swap quarterbacks, but in this situation, I wouldn’t put it past either team to do this in an effort to simply move on.
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