The Seahawks’ opening-night loss of Sam Darnold to a hip injury has thrown their quarterback situation into uncertainty, and it just so happens that Minnesota may have a quarterback sitting in a far less secure spot of his own.
J.J. McCarthy has been bumped to the Vikings’ No. 3 quarterback for Week 1, a move that makes it clear Minnesota is not exactly leaning on him right now. That has led to a wild but not completely crazy thought: if Seattle needs help under center, could the Vikings and Seahawks actually line up on a McCarthy trade?
Darnold did not return after leaving Wednesday’s game in the first quarter, though Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said he is believed to have avoided a fractured hip. Seattle is also planning to have him undergo an MRI on Thursday, and that test could reveal a soft tissue injury that keeps him out for several weeks. If that happens, the Seahawks may have reason to look around.
There is at least some history that makes the fit worth considering. Seattle reportedly had interest in McCarthy before the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Seahawks met with him in what Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer described as a “lengthy” session. Macdonald also knows McCarthy from his time as Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2021, when McCarthy was a freshman there.
The quarterback room angle matters too. McCarthy and Darnold already spent time together in Minnesota, where Darnold was signed in 2024 to start while the team developed its first-round pick.
There were no reports during that season that the two had issues with each other, and Darnold has continued to speak positively about McCarthy since leaving in the 2025 offseason. Even if McCarthy needs a reset, he does not sound like the kind of player who would disrupt what Seattle already has built.
And then there is the football side of it. Minnesota’s current offense under Kevin O’Connell asks a lot from the quarterback, and McCarthy has not handled that load well enough for the Vikings to trust him yet.
Seattle, by contrast, has leaned on defense, the run game, and easier throws for its quarterback during Macdonald’s tenure. That style lines up more naturally with what McCarthy did well at Michigan.
If McCarthy’s future ends up looking more like that of a steady game manager, Seattle may be a better landing spot for him than Minnesota. And with Darnold’s status suddenly in flux, the idea is a lot less far-fetched than it sounded a day ago.
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