Sam Darnold changed the football world this season. After bouncing around the league for a few years, the quarterback found a home with the Minnesota Vikings and had a surprisingly terrific season. Darnold also won over the locker room and players like him and want him to stick around. That could be good news for the Seattle Seahawks.
That is because the rumor mill is already turning about the Vikings potentially entertaining offers for rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy was a first-round pick in the 2024 draft, but he tore his ACL and missed the season. Darnold might have started for Minnesota anyway, but after the season he has had (and the fact Darnold is only 27 years old), McCarthy might be expendable.
The Vikings almost certainly want a first-round pick back for McCarthy, and likely a second-round choice. The Seahawks have both those things, but a backup quarterback on a team-friendly deal. Sam Howell is signed through 2025 and only has a cap hit of $1.1 million next season. Howell could be part of any deal to get McCarthy and give Minnesota a backup to Darnold who has starting experience.
Seattle Seahawks should chase a trade to add Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy
Sure, Howell was awful in limited time with the Seahawks this season, but he might be quite good, if needed, on a Vikings team with a much better offensive line.
Seattle has a pick in each of the first three rounds. Would giving up a first-round and second-round choice be too much for McCarthy? Not if general manager John Schneider (and Schneider makes the roster decisions, not head coach Mike Macdonald) truly believes McCarthy can be a good starter for the next decade for the Seahawks.
Seattle does need help along the interior of the offensive line, but does anyone really expect Schneider to take a center or guard in the first two rounds? That seems highly unlikely.
If Minnesota chooses to re-sign Darnold then that makes McCarthy a nice trade piece. ESPN's Adam Schefter says had McCarthy been available in the draft this year, he would have been the top quarterback prospect. He believes teams will definitely be calling about the availability of McCarthy in a trade as well.
The move could turn out to be a terrific one for Seattle in many ways. Not only would the 6'1 1/2" and 220-pound athletically gifted McCarthy be the quarterback of the future, but he would be on his rookie deal for at least three more seasons with a fifth-year option for the Seahawks.
That means the quarterback would not be overly expensive and Seattle could spend money elsewhere, such as signing players who can help along the offensive line.
Not until 2026, though. McCarthy could be added while Geno Smith plays out the final year of his deal. After all, McCarthy would still be a rookie in 2025, for all intents and purposes, because he got no playing time this year. McCarthy would then take over fully, if not before, in 2026.