{"id":854618,"date":"2026-04-05T05:26:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T05:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854618\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T05:26:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T05:26:20","slug":"vikings-rumors-build-around-a-j-j-mccarthy-trade-idea-the-2026-qb1-blake-brandel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854618\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings Rumors Build around a J.J. McCarthy Trade Idea, the 2026 QB1, Blake Brandel"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Vikings\u2019 rumor mill never takes days or weeks off, and in fact, the noise gets louder as the draft approaches<\/a>. That just so happens to be 18 days from now.<\/p>\n

Minnesota\u2019s latest rumor roundup touches McCarthy, Murray, and a possible Brandel shift on the offensive line.<\/p>\n

So, to keep you in the loop, here\u2019s the second batch of Vikings rumors for the first weekend in April.<\/p>\n

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Latest Chatter Points to Key Decisions for Minnesota\u2019s Offense<\/p>\n

The Purple Rumor Mill for April 5th, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"J.J.<\/p>\n

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy drops back and delivers an early throw, settling into the offense and setting tempo Jan 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The first-quarter sequence showed Minnesota aiming for rhythm in a pivotal divisional clash against Green Bay as McCarthy operated within structure. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Rumor: J.J. McCarthy could be traded to the Jets in a deal centered around a 2nd-Rounder.<\/p>\n

Pro Football Network\u2018s Josh Weil published a few McCarthy trade ideas, and for the Jets,\u00a0he explained<\/a>, \u201cNew York trades a 2026 second-round pick (No. 44 overall) to Minnesota for McCarthy and a 2026 third-round pick (No. 97 overall). Will the reunion with\u00a0Geno Smith<\/a>\u00a0result in success for the Jets? Maybe, but with an aging quarterback who has had his share of injuries, bringing in a backup with more upside than Brady Cook can make an injury not devastating for the Jets.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey would be able to focus on other positions with their higher draft picks and still bring in a hungry McCarthy, who could very well win the starting job over Smith.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCarthy has raised no fuss about Murray\u2019s arrival, and to be shipped out, McCarthy must likely ask for a ticket.<\/p>\n

Weil also dropped a McCarthy trade theory to Cleveland: \u201cCleveland trades a 2026 third-round pick (No. 70 overall) and a 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 149 overall) to Minnesota for McCarthy. While the Browns picked a pair of quarterbacks in last year\u2019s draft and still have\u00a0Deshaun Watson<\/a>\u00a0under contract, it is clear they are looking for someone to come in and run away with the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like the Browns didn\u2019t want to invest a first-round pick in the position, but getting a first-round quarterback at pennies on the dollar in terms of draft stock may make them buyers for McCarthy. McCarthy\u2019s QB Impact Score last season was 64.5, resulting in a D grade. While this is a far cry from where his expectations are, he still cleared Shedeur Sanders<\/a> and Dillon Gabriel by a wide margin in that category.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Generally speaking, the Vikings probably won\u2019t trade McCarthy.<\/p>\n

Rumor: Kyler Murray is the Vikings\u2019 QB1 in 2026; Kevin O\u2019Connell spilled the beans.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connell chatted with KFAN this week and mentioned\u00a0his offense in 2026<\/a>: \u201cI call it the Justin Jefferson program. If they\u2019re playing man coverage, they\u2019re absolutely not playing Justin 1 on 1\u2026 what that means if you\u2019re going to try and play those coverages, and have a spy for Kyler Murray, or for that matter any of our other QB\u2019s, you\u2019re leaving yourself a 3 man rush.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you have to ask yourself, what do you have to take away? If the answer is Justin Jefferson<\/a> or Jordan Addison, there\u2019s going to be some opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kyler<\/p>\n

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray takes the field for warmups with SoFi Stadium reflected in his visor, capturing a unique pregame moment Jan 3, 2021, in Inglewood, California. Murray prepared for a matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, showcasing focus and presence before kickoff in a high-profile NFC West contest. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connell\u2019s comments left no doubt: he is building the offense around Murray as the starting quarterback and planning for September with Murray in mind. Defensive coordinators must now contend with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Murray\u2019s mobility \u2014 a combination sure to cause headaches.<\/p>\n

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Coaches rarely speak this way about backup quarterbacks. As QB4, Max Brosmer received no extensive analysis on Tuesday, which is understandable. He\u2019s not a starter.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connell may not have intended to reveal his hand, but his plan is evident. While the Vikings will still hold a quarterback competition in training camp, Murray enters the summer as the clear frontrunner.<\/p>\n

Rumor: Blake Brandel is the odds-on favorite to start Week 1 at center.<\/p>\n

Until this week, no one really knew the Vikings\u2019 plan at center. O\u2019Connell changed that a little bit.<\/p>\n

He said to reporters<\/a>, \u201cIt is great that we feel that good about Blake\u2019s versatility, but ultimately we want to do what\u2019s best for Blake to ascend and reach his highest potential at one position or have the flexibility still to play multiple. What his offseason looks like, what his training camp looks like and what his work flow looks like leading into the season, we want to have him more than likely at that center spot and build on some things that he did last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a position that\u2019s got some really unique names in the draft, depending on where you may be looking to take one. There\u2019s some guys with experience, there\u2019s some guys with tremendous upside and then some guys that have that flex above the neck of really the smarts and the command that it takes to play center at the National Football League level. We\u2019ll continue to work through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Vikings<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Blake Brandel moves through pregame warmups, preparing for depth duties and special teams work Sep 12, 2021, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The lineman went through drills alongside teammates ahead of kickoff, focusing on readiness and technique before facing the Bengals. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s\u00a0Kevin Seifert added<\/a>, \u201cO\u2019Connell said the Vikings plan to make center the permanent position for longtime backup Blake Brandel, making him the early front-runner for the job that was vacated by Ryan Kelly\u2019s retirement<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

From an early April standpoint, the starting center job is Brandel\u2019s. A rookie will have to outshine him at training camp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Minnesota Vikings\u2019 rumor mill never takes days or weeks off, and in fact, the noise gets louder…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":854619,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[390,228,3971,2723,76939,85,563,1033,7,1507,1519,8265,2780,4827,58,9737,3218,11367,233,259,2529,6,17,234],"class_list":{"0":"post-854618","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-vikings","8":"tag-arizona-cardinals","9":"tag-bengals","10":"tag-blake-brandel","11":"tag-brady-cook","12":"tag-brandel","13":"tag-cleveland","14":"tag-deshaun-watson","15":"tag-dillon-gabriel","16":"tag-football","17":"tag-geno-smith","18":"tag-j-j-mccarthy","19":"tag-jordan-addison","20":"tag-justin-jefferson","21":"tag-kyler-murray","22":"tag-los-angeles-rams","23":"tag-mandatory-credit","24":"tag-max-brosmer","25":"tag-mccarthy","26":"tag-minnesota","27":"tag-minnesota-vikings","28":"tag-minnesotavikings","29":"tag-nfl","30":"tag-shedeur-sanders","31":"tag-vikings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}