A Vikings-49ers trade to replace JJ McCarthy with familiar face Minnesota should’ve kept

Coming into the season, the Minnesota Vikings had quite an obvious plan with their quarterback room. They used their first-round pick on JJ McCarthy from Michigan. This was to make him the QB of the future, taking the reins from Kirk Cousins, who went to Atlanta this offseason.

They have Nick Mullens and Sam Darnold who are there to try to keep the team afloat until McCarthy is ready to go. Darnold has been listed as the QB1 in Minnesota all throughout training camp and the preseason. The expectation was that Darnold would play until he struggled or McCarthy shined in practice.

But McCarthy has now torn his meniscus and undergone a full repair of his knee, ending his 2024 season before it even started. Now, Minnesota needs to upgrade their quarterback room or else they're going to have to wave the white flag on the season.

A Vikings-49ers trade that brings Josh Dobbs back to Minnesota

Enter Josh Dobbs, the third QB on the San Fransisco 49ers depth chart. Last season, Dobbs was in Minnesota and the Vikings never should have let him go. Now, they could look to pursue a preseason trade that would bring Dobbs in to battle Darnold for the starter spot with the Vikings.

The basis of this trade is simple. The Vikings would acquire Dobbs and move one of their fifth-round picks in 2025 to a 2025 seventh round pick. The 49ers would move their depth quarterback to move their seventh round pick up two rounds.

It makes sense for both sides. The Vikings only have three picks in the upcoming draft, so they would need for it to be some sort of pick swap to be worth it.

While in Minnesota, Dobbs was excellent except for one outing against the Chicago Bears. The Vikings were 3-2 in Dobbs' games. The Tennessee product threw for five touchdowns and ran for three, adding in 163 yards on the ground and nearly 1000 in the air across five games.

He's a well-liked player in the locker room and he's looked impressive in the preseason thus far. He dazzled the media and fanbases alike with an impressive rushing touchdown in his last outing.

This isn't a game breaking trade for the Vikings or 49ers, but it's something that would make sense for both teams and it could make them both better. San Fransisco has no use for Dobbs anymore and Minnesota could use him back in their quarterback room.