- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 971,941
- Reaction score
- 57
You must be registered for see images attach
Raiders-Vikings trade rumor details near blockbuster deal during 2025 offseason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Before the Las Vegas Raiders landed on Geno Smith in 2025, they reportedly had their eyes on another, younger signal-caller.
In the wake of the Minnesota Vikings firing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, NFL analyst Daniel Rotman reported that the Vikings almost traded J.J. McCarthy away to the Raiders last offseason.
Based on Rotman's reporting, it would appear head coach Kevin O'Connell wanted to stick with Sam Darnold and trade McCarthy away, but Adofo-Mensah wanted to go in the opposite direction.
"[For what it's worth]: there was internal disagreement when drafting J.J. McCarthy and when deciding whether to prioritize him or Sam Darnold this offseason," he said.
"Kevin O’Connell wanted to go in the other direction. The Vikings were moments away from trading McCarthy to the Raiders this offseason, but to no avail."
Mitchell Renz of Raiders Report didn't completely confirm Rotman's report, but he did note that the Raiders at least "had their eyes on J.J. McCarthy."
After what we saw out of McCarthy in his first season as a starter, the Raiders are fortunate that trade didn't go through.
McCarthy had a tough year and looks more likely to be a bust than to pan out. And, just think of how much worse McCarthy would've looked with an interior Raiders roster and coaching staff.
While the Raiders dodged that bullet, they still got hit with the Smith one.
Las Vegas traded away a third-round pick and signed Smith to a $75 million contract extension, only for him to turn around and play like one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL in 2025.
All that said, it's possible the Raiders would have given up more in terms of draft capital for McCarthy than Smith, seeing as how he hadn't played at that point and was a recent first-round pick.
The Raiders are looking at a fresh start at quarterback in 2026 thanks to their putrid season.
Las Vegas is widely expected to draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft and he will hopefully prove to be the long-term answer for the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are stuck with McCarthy, and the young signal-caller is seemingly stuck with a coaching staff that may not fully believe in him.
That sets up for a messy situation in Minnesota in 2026.
More NFL news
- Vikings rumor pinpoints possible draft focus for Round 1, Day 3
- Klint Kubiak rumor is good news for Seahawks and Raiders, bad news for Cardinals
- Browns rumor reveals front-runner for Cleveland's OC job
- Bills named in Mike Evans rumor that paints bleak outlook for Bucs future
- Kenneth Walker's future with Seahawks gets updated outlook
- Steelers insider predicts Pittsburgh will cut $12 million playmaker
Continue reading...
