RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. When the Minnesota Vikings named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback, many assumed it started the clock on a J.J. McCarthy trade.
The former top-10 pick was drafted to be the long-term successor to Kirk Cousins, who left after the 2023 season for a $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons (he’s now with the Las Vegas Raiders).
However, McCarthy missed his entire rookie year with a knee injury, and he looked less than promising in his first year as Minnesota’s starter last year, throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a woeful 72.6 passer rating.
Murray was signed this offseason to push him, but he ended up taking McCarthy’s job. Though the Michigan alum has stated he wants to remain with the Vikings, many believe he’ll ultimately be traded elsewhere.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report is in that camp, and he recently named the San Francisco 49ers as a potential landing spot for McCarthy.
“The San Francisco 49ers don't have an aging star atop the quarterback depth chart, but they could give McCarthy an excellent chance to reestablish himself as Brock Purdy's backup — something Mac Jones did last season,” Knox wrote .
“… Jones is very likely to parlay his two-year stint in San Francisco into a starting opportunity next offseason. If McCarthy could make his way to the Bay Area, he could potentially do the same.”
The 49ers have developed a reputation in recent years for being a QB rehabilitation clinic.
The team signed Sam Darnold to backup Purdy in 2023, and he performed well enough to earn a one-year starting gig ahead of McCarthy in Minnesota in 2024. He parlayed that into a $100 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks last season.
San Francisco also signed Jones on the cheap after the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars parted ways with him, he performed so well last year in relief of Purdy that many feel he could start on a handful of other teams if the 49ers wanted to trade him.
San Francisco could be the perfect place for McCarthy, who is only 23, to learn from one of the top offensive head coaches in the NFL for a season or two with the pressure off, and possibly be in contention for a starting job elsewhere in 2027 or 2028.
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