The Seattle Seahawks might play in the toughest division in pro football. The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are both legitimate Super Bowl candidates, and facing them twice a year at least is the right preparation to be in playoff shape from the jump.
Of course, the same can't be said of the Arizona Cardinals. They've struggled to keep up with the rest of the NFC West for years now, and things might not be much better in the first season of the Mike LaFleur era.
That's why, with the Minnesota Vikings seemingly done with J.J. McCarthy, the Cardinals might be tempted to roll the dice on him and lure him to the desert. That wouldn't only be comedy gold for Seattle, but also a guarantee to hold the Cardinals back for even longer.
The Seattle Seahawks should want J.J. McCarthy with the Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals already allowed Jacoby Brissett — yes, perennial backup Jacoby Brissett, 20-45 Jacoby Brissett — to bully them into a reworked contract. If that's not rock bottom, it definitely must be pretty close to it.
That speaks volumes about the lack of confidence they have in Carson Beck. Otherwise, why not just roll with one of the most experienced college quarterbacks in recent years and let the veteran backup kick rocks?
As such, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see the Cardinals keeping tabs on McCarthy's situation. That, however, would be the last thing they should want to do ahead of the stacked quarterback class of 2027.
It might be too early to give up on McCarthy after just 10 career starts, but no team should want him now. In Arizona, he might have a clear look at the starting quarterback position and show just enough upside to prevent the team from going after his replacement in the draft.
Still, there are no guarantees that he'll ever be a starting quarterback material; he lost the job to the very guy the Cardinals got rid of this offseason. Even if he does, it won't be long before they have to decide on his contract.
McCarthy signed a four-year, $21 million contract. He's still tied to the team through the 2027 season, but if the Cardinals trade for him and pick up his fifth-year option, they'd be on the hook for something between $23 million and $26 million, per the current CBA.
The Cardinals are bottom-feeders now, but they do have a promising set of young weapons in Michael Wilson, Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jeremiyah Love, as well as an offensive-minded coach, but some things might be impossible to save.
Rolling the dice on an erratic and injury-prone quarterback who didn't seem to love being coached and who barely threw the ball in college is a recipe for disaster, especially with a big chance at landing an actual franchise-caliber guy in the draft.
The Seahawks already have enough top-tier competition; they certainly don't need the Cardinals to suddenly become good. So, if they can shoot themselves in the foot by talking themselves into this reclamation project, so be it. It'll only hold them back for a couple of years at the very least.
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