Vikings could "quietly" look to trade J.J. McCarthy with looming Sam Darnold free agency decision, predicts ESPN analyst

The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting position this offseason as they made the playoffs after a dominating regular season but lost in the NFC Wild Card Game. Sam Darnold had an excellent season under center but is a free agent this offseason as J.J. McCarthy, who they selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, is set to return from injury.

The front office is going to need to make a franchise-altering decision as to who they are going to have under center going forward. ESPN analyst Ben Solak made a major prediction regarding the Vikings as he believes the team could be looking to trade McCarthy this offseason.

"I really, truly believe the Vikings will extend Darnold," Solak said via ESPN.com. "They have the room for something in the Daniel Jones neighborhood – four years, $160 million is probably optimal if they can get Darnold to sign that before another team in the free market offers him a whale of a deal.

"Depending on the size of the contract, they'll either keep McCarthy or quietly look to trade him ahead of a bad quarterback draft class and see if a needy team takes the bait," he added.

Sam Darnold had an excellent season heading into free agency as he completed 361-of-545 (66.2%) of his passes for 4,319 yards with 35 passing touchdowns to 12 interceptions.

Who should be the next starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings?

The Vikings have proven to be in an advantageous position as they have two options from their roster to be the starting quarterback of the future. However, Ben Solak's idea of trading J.J. McCarthy makes the most sense.

Minnesota just showed it can be a contender right now with its roster and if it gives the reins to McCarthy, it is a complete unknown. That is not even factoring in the idea of having four different starting quarterbacks in three years (Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy) and having receivers like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison needing to get on the same page with a player who never played a snap in the NFL.

Darnold is still young and could have another decade in the NFL. McCarthy may be able to net the Minnesota Vikings a first-round pick depending on the way the draft falls. This is certainly a way they could go as they have the cap space and could get another position of need sorted out to march forward in a difficult NFC North.

Do you think the Minnesota Vikings should look to trade J.J. McCarthy this offseason? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.