With Kyler Murray officially named the Minnesota Vikings’ starter on Tuesday, the attention immediately shifts to what that means for J.J. McCarthy’s future in Minnesota. The trade chatter is there, but NFL insider Ian Rapoport isn’t rushing to assume the Vikings will move him.
Rapoport addressed the situation on “The Pat McAfee Show,” and his read was pretty clear: don’t count on a deal just yet. He pointed out that McCarthy is set to be the backup, and that the bigger question is what Minnesota would do if Murray were to miss time during the season.
“I do not know if the Vikings would trade J.J.,” Rapoport said. “He's going to be the backup.
The question now is if something happens to Kyler, is he your best option moving forward? Right?
Because the Vikings are a team that I think is going to be in it.”
He also noted that Carson Wentz gives the team another layer of security behind Murray, which makes the quarterback picture more complicated.
“[Wentz] has played well enough to give you confidence that if he had to play, he'd be okay, or maybe better,” Rapoport continued. “So like, if you're a team who like JJ coming out, it actually might make some sense to say like maybe we'll just trade for him and develop him. I mean, Daniel Jones is a fantastic example of when he went to the Vikings a couple years ago.”
Rapoport then raised another possibility: whether McCarthy would want out if he’s not starting, and whether Murray and McCarthy can “coexist together.”
"I think there's a lot of questions about what happens with JJ McCarthy now..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 11, 2026
I don't know if the Vikings would trade him"@RapSheet #PMSLive https://t.co/4NJdqQt4RD pic.twitter.com/7orLhZqE6P
McCarthy has been an experienced starting quarterback, having been with the Arizona Cardinals for seven seasons, but injuries have limited his playing time. For now, the situation stays unresolved, and Murray will be the one under center when Week takes place on Sept. 13 against the Green Bay Packers.
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