No quarterback may be more scrutinized this season than J.J. McCarthy. The former Michigan star missed all of last season with a torn meniscus. Now that he is slated to be the Week 1 starter for the Minnesota Vikings, all eyes will be on him to see if his game translates to the NFL. I am dubious of that happening, but I do recognize that he went to the perfect situation for him during the 2024 NFL Draft.
On paper, Minnesota should have one of the better rosters in the NFL. They are well-coached and are hungry to prove last year was a sign of more good things to come for the Vikings. That being said, they could use an upgrade at cornerback right before the season starts. It is why I would look at potentially trading for a player like Greg Newsome II of the Cleveland Browns ahead of a contract year.
Here is what it may take for the Vikings to bring Newsome over from Cleveland before this season.
Newsome is a former first-round pick out of Northwestern in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Browns. After playing out a four-year deal worth $12,748,735, he is now getting paid $13.377 million as part of his fifth-year option. In short, we are looking for some $13 million-plus in assets going the Browns' way from Minnesota to make the deal work. I went with two day-two picks and a late-round compensatory.
That may be a tad pricey, but it is not like the Vikings are paying McCarthy top dollar just yet either.
Why Greg Newsome II might be worth it for the Minnesota Vikings
My favorite thing about the Vikings is their coaching staff. Seemingly everyone in the NFL wants to play for Kevin O'Connell. I have never heard a bad word about the guy. While there have been plenty of bad words said about Brian Flores, he is simply overqualified to be an NFL defensive coordinator. If not for his own transgressions, he might still be an NFL head coach. It is to the Vikings' benefit here.
What I am getting at is if the Vikings were to add a solid veteran like Newsome to their secondary, he might have a career year in a contract season. He may only be a one-year rental, but that is the price to pay to try and win big with McCarthy right away. Again, the Vikings do not have to pay him huge money until a few years down the line. Now is the time for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to load up on stars.
The big thing here is to try and pave McCarthy's pathway to stardom in gold, to help breed as much confidence as possible into him. His NFL prototype may scare me off, but I do recognize that he does play for a well-run organization that seems to get more right than wrong in terms of overall roster construction. You can always get more picks, but it has been nearly 50 years since a Super Bowl...
It may be a bit of a reach to pay a slight premium this late for Newsome, but the Vikings must go for it.