The Tennessee Titans may have the opportunity to trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy during the NFL offseason.
The Tennessee Titans may have to get creative to find an answer at quarterback this coming offseason, particularly if their draft pick isn’t high enough to land one of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward.
The Titans could explore the free-agent market to acquire a solution, but that may prove difficult, especially with the recent report that the Minnesota Vikings ultimately want to retain Sam Darnold.
But could that actually open the door for Tennessee to swing a trade for Vikings rookie signal-caller J.J. McCarthy?
Minnesota selected McCarthy in the first round of the NFL Draft last spring, but a knee injury has caused him to miss his entire debut campaign.
The Vikings turned to Darnold, who they signed in free agency last March. Well, Darnold has broken out this year, throwing for 32 touchdowns and potentially establishing himself as the quarterback of the future in Minnesota.
That could ultimately make McCarthy expendable for the Vikings, and if they do, in fact, decide to move him, the TItans should jump at the opportunity.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that Will Levis is not the long-term answer for Tennessee, and it’s not exactly easy to just find a replacement.
McCarthy is obviously incredibly unproven. He hasn’t thrown a single pass on the NFL level outside of preseason games. But he would definitely be a more intriguing option than Will Levis in 2025, and if the Titans want to instead focus on another position in the draft rather than quarterback, they can swing a trade for McCarthy while also addressing other areas of need.
Of course, how much draft capital would be required to pry McCarthy away from Minnesota is a major question. The Vikings traded up to the 10th overall pick to land him last April, after all.
But if Minnesota really feels that Darnold is the way to go for the future, it would have no need to keep McCarthy around any longer.
If McCarthy does, in fact, become available, Tennessee should absolutely place a call to the Vikings to see if an agreement can be reached.