Bullet point summary by AI
- A proposed trade swapping Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy for Colts QB Anthony Richardson could give both struggling young players a needed fresh start.
- To make it financially viable, a post-August 1 deal allows Minnesota to take on a low cap hit while sending Indy McCarthy and a conditional 2027 5th-round pick.
- Both franchises need better insurance policies and upside at quarterback, as their current developmental situations have stagnated and grown tense.
The Minnesota Vikings are quickly realizing J.J. McCarthy is not a mature NFL quarterback. His recent comments on being coached alongside newcomer Kyler Murray displayed a stark contrast between the two.
McCarthy, a 2024 first-round pick, hasn’t quite shown he has as high a ceiling as head coach Kevin O’Connell thought when he pushed for his selection. If the 23-year-old loses the starting job to Murray (which looks all the more likely) the team may need to figure out how to maximize his value before he reaches bust territory.
The Indianapolis Colts are in a similar situation with 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson. Injuries and setbacks have prevented him from becoming the team’s starting QB of the future and with Daniel Jones emerging as that candidate, there’s value that needs to be recouped before it’s too late.
This Vikings-Colts trade for Anthony Richardson solves Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy problem
Both Minnesota and Indianapolis can come to a mutually beneficial solution here. Changes in scenery could do a lot of good for both young passers. That being said a straight swap won’t be possible.
There are two options here if this trade were to materialize and they both center around the date of the transaction. If the two teams make a swap before August 1, Minnesota would owe Richardson his $5.385 million guarantee and be on the hook for McCarthy’s $6.35 million dead salary cap hit. So that scenario can probably be ruled out on financial constraints.
Option two would be making the trade after August 1. In that situation, Indianapolis would pay Richardson his $4.24 million roster bonus and the Vikings would only see an affordable salary cap hit of $1.145 million when he arrives in Minneapolis. This appears to be the more manageable scenario, as Minnesota would have the summer to evaluate McCarthy. The cost is also lower, as the Vikings could compensate Indianapolis with just a conditional mid-round draft pick to make up for the financial discrepancies and Richardson’s higher ceiling.
That pick would likely be a conditional fifth-rounder with a trigger to be upgraded to a fourth-rounder if Minnesota reaches the playoffs or pushed to 2028 if Indianapolis qualifies for the postseason. In the event both teams are playoff-bound, the pick remains a fifth-rounder.
McCarthy won’t take Daniel Jones’ starting job—at least not in theory—but he would offer decent competition and be afforded time to kick-start his development. Indianapolis needs a better insurance policy too, as Richardson was unavailable due to his own ailments to step in when Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles tear last year. Calling Philip Rivers back for a third stint isn’t going to be an option in 2026.
Murray is on a one-year “prove it” deal with Minnesota. There’s no guarantee he emerges as the team’s long-term starter, which could entice the Vikings to deal with McCarthy’s antics for now. But based on what we’ve seen on tape, there’s a higher likelihood Richardson could develop into a Randall Cunningham-like player than McCarthy being “the guy.”
There’s risk associated with any trade and this one would certainly be risky for both sides. However, the current situation on each side isn’t working out and letting displeasures fester any longer will only increase the chance of a meltdown.
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