The Minnesota Vikings landed free agent quarterback Kyler Murray on Thursday. The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal for the league veteran minimum and is expected to be the team’s starter for the 2026 season. That, however, leaves 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy on the bench needing to vastly outwork Murray to earn the QB1 spot back.

The 23-year-old passer missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus, and his 2025 campaign came up well short of impressive (1,632 yards, 11 TDs, 12 INTs in 10 games).

But given the Murray signing, Minnesota may be signaling its ready to move on from the Michigan product… for the right price. One team that should be picking up the phone to attempt securing a long-term fix at quarterback is the Cleveland Browns.

Browns trade for Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy would mutually benefit both teams

McCarthy still has a lot of upside but with the Vikings clearly having seller’s remorse after letting Sam Darnold walk only for him to win a Super Bowl in year one with the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota is skipping the development phase and jumping straight to win-now mode.

Cleveland is historically known as QB hell but with Deshaun Watson on his way out (at some point) and the duo of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders falling over each other to claim the starter role, the Browns should consider McCarthy.

The 2024 College Football Playoff national champion was rated a lot higher as a prospect compared to Sanders and would provide more than sufficient competition in training camp. Iron sharpens iron — though you could say a McCarthy vs. Sanders QB battle is more wood scraping wood — and Cleveland would at least have a couple years to evaluate whether to stick with one of them or head back to the draft board.

Trade proposal: QB Dillon Gabriel + conditional 2027 first-round pick in exchange for QB J.J. McCarthy

Murray is on a one-year “prove it” deal with the Vikings (especially since the Arizona Cardinals are paying out his $36.8 million guarantee) and Minnesota is going to need some assurances if they send away McCarthy.

With the 23-year-old theoretically gone, Murray would only have UDFA Max Brosmer as a backup. The Golden Gophers product threw four interceptions in one start last year, so that’s not going to work.

Cleveland can entice the Vikings into a trade by giving them a better backup for this season (Gabriel) and the option to bail out of a Murray extension if he doesn’t deliver in 2026. The Browns are likely to be selecting high again in 2027 so they could easily make it a conditional pick if the Vikings qualify for the playoffs this season (turns into a 2028 first rounder).

It may seem like an expensive buy for the Browns but they are positioned to continue spinning their wheels with Watson rotting away on the roster and two prospects with far less upside than originally thought. McCarthy at least gives them a chance to show signs of life and put resources elsewhere to build around him.

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