3 best J.J. McCarthy trade destinations for fresh start after losing Vikings QB competition to Kyler Murray

The Minnesota Vikings have finally concluded their training camp quarterback battle on Tuesday. Minnesota named veteran Kyler Murray the starter nearly a month before the start of the regular season. Kevin O’Connell and Minnesota’s coaching staff had clearly seen enough if they were willing to pull the trigger so quickly.

Now the natural next question is: what happens to J.J. McCarthy? At this point, it seems like any possibility is on the table.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport did not know what will happen next during Tuesday’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. But he did express some skepticism that McCarthy would be traded.

“I think there’s a lot of questions about what happens with J.J. McCarthy now,” Rapoport posted on social media. “I don’t know if the Vikings would trade him.”

If the Vikings do decide to move on, or if McCarthy demands a trade, where could he end up?

Three teams jump out as ideal trade destinations to give McCarthy a fresh start after losing his starting job to Murray.

Would the Jets pay to add another quarterback to their room?

New York has not been shy about trying out multiple quarterbacks early in the Aaron Glenn era.

The Jets already went through Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook during the 2025 season. They have an almost completely new lineup this year.

New York traded for Geno Smith to become their presumed starter. They also drafted Cade Klubnik to compete with Cook and Bailey Zappe in training camp.

There is an argument to be made that McCarthy has high upside than any of those quarterbacks. He may also be better than Klubnik, Cook, and Zappe right away. That would make him an ideal backup for Smith during the 2026 season.

Nevertheless, McCarthy may not be appealing to a team with three first-round picks ahead of a loaded 2027 quarterback class.

Perhaps the Jets could pursue McCarthy if they view him as an elite backup option. But would McCarthy be comfortable entering that type of situation?

McCarthy could compete for the Browns’ starting quarterback job

The Browns already have Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders duking it out for the starting job. But could McCarthy compete with those two quarterbacks?

If the price is right, Cleveland could at least see if McCarthy shows some promise. But they may not be willing to give up that much.

The elephant in the room is that Cleveland will likely pursue a quarterback early in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft. They could even land a top prospect like Arch Manning or Dante Moore.

That being the case, where is the incentive for the Browns to spend assets to bring another quarterback? Especially one who will almost certainly get benched next offseason anyways.

Still, this is the Browns we’re talking about. Anything is possible.

Jim Harbaugh reunion incoming with the Chargers?

There was no way the Chargers were not making this list.

Jim Harbaugh spent time with McCarthy during their incredible run at the University of Michigan. They even won a national championship together. So it should be no surprise that Harbaugh is a big fan of McCarthy.

Remember, Harbaugh once declared that McCarthy’s pro day workout was “the best throwing day [he’s] ever seen.”

Does that mean a reunion in LA could be in the cards?

The Chargers actually make a surprising amount of sense, even when you ignore the Harbaugh angle.

LA has an established franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert who probably wouldn’t be threatened by the addition of McCarthy. That could give McCarthy the opportunity to truly sit on the bench and learn from a great NFL starter. He could also continue learning from Harbaugh, who was once an NFL quarterback himself.

As for the Chargers, they could easily view McCarthy as an upgrade at QB2 over Trey Lance or DJ Uiagalelei.

This may be the most appealing destination for McCarthy himself because of his familiarity with Harbaugh as a head coach.

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