Now that Kyler Murray has been named the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback for 2026, the discussion has shifted to what Minnesota will do with J.J. McCarthy. Does he have any trade value? If he does, who would be in the market to acquire the third-year quarterback who does have his fifth-year option looming? One NFL analyst believes Minnesota needs to factor in caution.
While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL analyst Peter Schrager believes that Minnesota needs to err on the side of caution when discussing moving on from McCarthy:
"This is the same team that let Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones out of the building..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 11, 2026
I think they would be a little more cautious to letting JJ McCarthy out of the building"@PSchrags#PMSLivehttps://t.co/7JH903V3cnpic.twitter.com/nTw35qVc1u
"This is the same team that let Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones out of the building..
I think they would be a little more cautious to letting JJ McCarthy out of the building"
What Schrager is saying doesn't make much sense. We saw very little promise from McCarthy last season, and comparing him to a quarterback who won 13 games in his sole season in Minnesota, then departed to win a Super Bowl, makes little to no sense. Had McCarthy looked strong last season, this would be a different discussion. But for now, the comparison falls flat, and caution might not be what Minnesota needs in regard to this situation.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Will the Vikings be more careful about letting J.J. McCarthy go?