A weekend publication from VikingsTerritory, we present to you: the Vikings Nopedy Nopes of the week.
The nopedy nopes are weekly Minnesota Vikings-themed items that we’re not buying. It’s a spin-off of our rumor mill, and we hope you enjoy. Here is the 47th batch of Vikings nopedy nopes in the series’ history.
The Nopedy Nope: J.J. McCarthy could be traded to the Cleveland Browns in a deal involving Myles Garrett.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) takes the field before an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. © Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
ESPN Radio host Paul Hembekides floated an idea Monday, suggesting the Vikings should onboard quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Cleveland Browns. Watson, in theory, would become a Viking while also nabbing pass rusher Myles Garrett from Cleveland, who requested a trade this week.
“What if the Minnesota Vikings are able or willing to take on the Deshaun Watson contract as well? So, you get out from under Deshaun, you trade away a franchise quarterback, and you make it a two-for-one instead. How, how much, how badly do you wanna get rid of the Deshaun Watson anchor?” Hembekides asked his show co-hosts.
Yes, his idea was swapping J.J. McCarthy for Myles Garrett and Deshaun Watson
Such trade theories — Garrett and Watson for McCarthy — are now evidently fair game after the Dallas Mavericks (NBA) shipped Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for a bizarre haul that included Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 1st-Rounder.
The Vikings won’t trade McCarthy for an EDGE rusher and injured, defamed quarterback.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Nopedy Nope: McCarthy could also be traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
This working theory suggests that the Vikings would re-sign Sam Darnold — yes, the guy who collapsed in the season’s final two games when it mattered the most — to a juicy new contract and let McCarthy walk via trade.
Bleacher Report was the culprit this week, sending McCarthy to the Las Vegas Raiders in a trade proposal that would fetch the Vikings the sixth overall pick. BR called it a trade “they’d like to see.”
“The Vikings have one of the most interesting offseason decisions to make with their quarterback situation,” BR’s scouting department explained. “Teams around the league should be keeping a close eye on what they decide to do with Darnold’s free agency, because there will either be a promising quarterback prospect who could be on the market or a veteran whose stock is on the rise.”
“The Vikings have the lowest investment in this year’s draft with just four total picks and two in the top 100. They could change that quickly if they were willing to trade McCarthy. The Michigan quarterback might have been the top quarterback prospect in this class, and he was only 21 when he was drafted,” BR added.
These McCarthy ideas are akin to Justin Jefferson trade talk last year that was media-driven, out of left field, and never realistic.
The Nopedy Nope: Kevin O’Connell said Sam Darnold will be a big part of his team winning a Super Bowl.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
Speaking after the NFL Awards ceremony, Kevin O’Connell told reporters, “Our goal is to win a championship, and he’s going to be a huge part of it when we do it.”
He was talking about Justin Jefferson, but one Detroit Lions reporter decided O’Connell was talking about Darnold.
The quote felt like a DJ record scratch, as most Vikings fans are ready to start the J.J. McCarthy era.
But crisis averted because O’Connell did not say that about Darnold, and Birkett got it wrong.