BLOCKBUSTER ALERT: Vikings Linked to Massive Trade for $180 Million Quarterback With Familiar Ties, Bold Offseason Gamble

J.J. McCarthy, the Minnesota Vikings’ second-year signal caller, appears to be both their future quarterback and their starter in 2025. However, they still do not have a backup other than Brett Rypien, and this is unlikely to last long. Minnesota needs at least one extra quarterback on the roster going into training camp, and most likely two as the spring goes into summer, as most teams enter the preseason with four quarterbacks.

The priority addition, however, will almost definitely be a seasoned veteran who can stand in for McCarthy in a pinch while also providing him with instruction as he embarks on his first NFL regular season experience.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, former Vikings starting Kirk Cousins is a strong candidate to take over that role, as the Atlanta Falcons intend to trade their previous starter, to whom they paid $180 million over four years last summer ($100 million guarantee). Atlanta has requested that any acquiring team pay $20 million of Cousins’ remaining $37.5 million in guarantees. To date, no team has expressed a willingness to do so, and no team is expected to do so.

There is speculation around the league that a team, such as the Vikings or Steelers, may be ready to pay down approximately $10 million.The amount that a team is willing to spend will also influence the compensation it gives up. The draft compensation decreases as the payout increases, and vice versa.

Minnesota only has four picks in the upcoming draft as of Monday, which may provide them an advantage over Pittsburgh in a trade for Cousins, although the Vikings would have to pay a larger portion of his contract under Schefter’s suggested trade paradigm. Cousins, on the other hand, is seeking for a shot to start in his age-37 season, which will only come in Minnesota if McCarthy struggles in training camp and/or suffers another injury, such as the knee problem that cost him his whole rookie season.Cousins’ no-trade provision makes those conditions and the quarterback’s wants far more crucial to any potential trade than they would be otherwise.