Vikings Urged to Trade Veteran QB After Latest J.J. McCarthy Buzz

The Minnesota Vikings are comfortable offering rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy a redshirt season. But if he continues to build on the praise he’s received this offseason, the Vikings could move on from Nick Mullens and make McCarthy first in line for action behind Sam Darnold.

KSTP’s Darren Wolfson took the temperature of the Vikings quarterback situation after Adam Thielen and T.J. Hockenson publicly praised McCarthy.

Wolfson said that if McCarthy can continue to develop and surpass Mullens during training camp, the Vikings would be wise to trade Mullens.

“If I had to bet right this second, I think Mullens is the QB2 Week 1 against the Giants,” Wolfson said on a July 18 episode of SKOR North’s “Mackey and Judd” podcast. “But if J.J. shows enough the next few weeks, sure. You then attempt to recoup, because you’re down some draft picks in 2025. Could you get a conditional [sixth-round pick], maybe a seventh?”

The Vikings only have their first-rounder and a pair of fifth-round picks confirmed for the 2025 draft after Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made several moves in the first round to land McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner. The Vikings could also receive a third-round compensatory pick next March, but any additional draft capital would be welcomed.

The Viking acquired Mullens in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, sending a conditional seventh-round pick to the Raiders in August 2022.

Mullens lost all three of his starts last season but was highly effective running the offense, averaging 370 yards per game in his starts. He also led the only scoring drive in a 3-0 win over Las Vegas in relief of Josh Dobbs.

“If J.J. McCarthy demonstrates enough the next handful of weeks, to me, you need to strike on a trade,” Wolfson added. “If that opportunity presents itself, you need to move Nick Mullens.”

Adam Thielen Praises Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy After Workout

After the final day of spring minicamps, McCarthy admitted that he would not go on vacation and instead stay in Minnesota and continue to develop his game.

That’s led to several throwing sessions with Thielen, who’s back home for the summer before he returns to the Carolina Panthers at the end of July.

Thielen appeared on KFAN’s #92Noon show with Paul Allen and showered McCarthy with praise.