Why the Vikings haven't traded J.J. McCarthy after getting Kyler Murray

Q: Why did the Vikings sign Kyler Murray instead of trading J.J. McCarthy?

The Vikings signed Kyler Murray to be their starting quarterback, indicating a lack of confidence in J.J. McCarthy.

Q: What are the implications of McCarthy still being on the Vikings roster?

McCarthy's presence on the roster could create tension within the team, especially with Murray now in the starting role.

Q: Is there a possibility of a late trade for J.J. McCarthy?

Currently, it does not seem likely that a trade for J.J. McCarthy will happen.

Why the Vikings haven't traded J.J. McCarthy after getting Kyler Murray originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Minnesota Vikings showed their lack of belief in J.J. McCarthy this offseason when they signed free agent quarterback Kyler Murray, presumably to be their starting QB in the 2026 NFL season.

McCarthy is still in Minnesota, though, which has the potential to make things a little awkward, assuming there's no late trade in the works.

And it certainly doesn't seem like a trade will be happening.

For better or worse, the Vikings appear content to hold onto McCarthy alongside Murray for the season ahead.

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Why aren't the Vikings trading J.J. McCarthy?

At this point, the Vikings have invested enough into McCarthy that it simply makes more sense to ride this out and see what happens.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to trade him," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote in a new article on Tuesday. "The Vikings have already paid 70% of McCarthy's rookie contract. There's no way they could get anything in return that remotely approaches what they spent in terms of draft capital to acquire him in the first place. They're less than a year removed from believing he could be their starter, not just now but for years to come. And it's not like Murray is some automatic fix, either. He has had one fully healthy season in the past five, and the Cardinals are paying him almost $36 million this year to play for another team."

The reality is that McCarthy had positive moments last season. His inconsistencies were just too tough to ignore.

Maybe bringing Murray aboard can help in both a mentorship way and a motivational way.

"People I've talked to who are close to this situation insist that the Vikings haven't given up on McCarthy -- that part of their hope is bringing in Murray sends some sort of shock to McCarthy's system and gets him refocused on whatever they think he got away from last year," Graziano writes. "It's probably a long shot, but again, there doesn't seem to be much they would gain from trading him at this point."

McCarthy is more likely than not to be a bust for the Vikings at this point. But because his trade value wouldn't be very high anyway, they might as well hang onto him, just in case.