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The Minnesota Vikings are going to bring in a quarterback capable of holding down a starting role this offseason. J.J. McCarthy might be that in the future, but even Kevin O’Connell has admitted the timeline no longer matches where they need to be.
The Vikings may find the best path forward for everyone involved is to swap scenery for McCarthy and someone else in the same vein.
The Richardson Idea Carries Major Development Questions
The biggest name that fits the scenario is Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. Conveniently, he’s the guy Daniel Jones felt more comfortable beating out last year when he opted against taking a bigger payday in Minnesota.
While McCarthy has been injured and a bust thus far, there still has to be more of a belief in his services than Richardson’s. That would suggest that, in terms of a swap, Minnesota needs more than a 1-for-1 deal.
If the Vikings were to consider such a move, though, seriously, what would they actually be getting? Before diving into Richardson’s background, it’s worth noting that removing a potential distraction in McCarthy varies. It’s not that he himself is a problem, but being relegated to backup duty after failing to assume the role planned out for him invites additional noise.
Similar to McCarthy heading into the draft, Richardson’s background was widely debated. He wound up being taken 4th overall, but has played in just 17 games during his first three years. Starting 11 contests in 2024, Richardson completed just 47.7% of his passes and had an 8/12 TD/INT ratio.
Whatever takeaway you have of McCarthy to this point, he’s been both better and equally as unhealthy as Richardson. From a pure outcome perspective, the only reason Minnesota would make this swap would be a belief that Richardson has a higher ceiling working with Kevin O’Connell than McCarthy does.
That’s a tough pill to swallow, given what the assessment of McCarthy was just two years ago. It’s also not great to accept that having McCarthy in a backup role around the facility presents an unwanted distraction. All of the optics in this proposed situation look ugly, and that’s not something the Minnesota Vikings should be inviting.