Sam Darnold gives Vikings perfect opportunity to make trade and keep J.J. McCarthy

While I would have no problem with the Minnesota Vikings going with Sam Darnold moving forward, they have made their bed with J.J. McCarthy and now they must lie in it. As the most raw first-round quarterback from this past year's draft is working his way back from a season-ending knee injury, the former New York Jets ghost whisperer is having a season for the ages. All I can say is SKOL, brother!

It has been an open secret that the Vikings will pivot off Darnold in favor of McCarthy to start next season. The idea of him coming to Minnesota in the first place was to re-establish himself as an NFL starting quarterback after failing in New York and Carolina. Darnold passed his Vikings test with flying colors, looking to cash in on a massive, multi-year deal in free agency. Do the Vikings lose in all this?

There is a great way in which they can win. It starts with giving Darnold the franchise tag and then promptly trading him away to a team in dire need of a quarterback. I think a team like the Tennessee Titans would be just about perfect for him, barring an unforeseen return to San Francisco. Minnesota would then turn to McCarthy with Daniel Jones backing up or stop-gapping until he is ready to rock.

Tagging and trading Darnold is how the Vikings to recoup draft capital for moving up to get McCarthy.

Minnesota Vikings can sign and trade Sam Darnold to regain draft capital

In theory, this could work out flawlessly. You would have McCarthy entering year two of a rookie contract with a potential fifth-year option coming down the line if he plays well. If he does not or is not ready for the bright lights of the NFL, you would still have Jones under contract to attempt to bridge the gap. Of course, McCarthy could be a total bust and Jones continues to be an inconsistent player.

Admittedly, I have been wrong every step of the way when it comes to the Vikings' quarterback decisions over the last year or so. I did not think Cousins was washed coming off an Achilles injury. He might be or may have hit a wall physically as a result of that. I liked McCarthy coming out, but find myself thinking he is the sixth-best quarterback taken inside of the top 12 in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Yes, I was hypercritical of the Darnold signing and thought the Vikings would win like four games because of it. I love Kevin O'Connell as a head coach, but still remain a huge critic of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as a general manager. I don't know if the Vikings have been more good than lucky, but it is probably a combination of both. Right now, I still have my reservations about McCarthy as a pro.

While I think it might be a huge mistake in letting Darnold walk, I could be more on board with letting him go if it can by way of a sign-and-trade of sorts. The Vikings brass owe it to themselves to see if McCarthy can actually play at the game's highest level. They did move up a spot to take him No. 10 overall this past spring. The injury bothers me almost as much as his lack of experience at Michigan.

Overall, the sole reason I am willing to get behind the idea of a Darnold sign-and-trade is to receive some compensation for their loss of a strong quarterback to another team this offseason. I don't know what he would garner on the market from a team like the Titans, but that team stinks, so those picks will be far more valuable than whatever the Vikings will be working with after the postseason.

Ultimately, all the dollars that the Vikings would have to pay Darnold on a new contract could go to surrounding McCarthy with the best supporting cast possible. He had a damn good one when he starred for Michigan under Jim Harbaugh's leadership. My biggest concern is he may just be a better version of Brock Purdy. There is a better verion of McCarthy in the Big Ten and his name is Drew Allar.

Regardless, the Vikings owe it to themselves to see if McCarthy can play. This trade will afford that.