At a minimum, the Vikings could franchise tag Darnold for a projected $41 million price tag next season. But there's also been speculation they could commit to him for multiple se

The Minnesota Vikings now have more incentive than ever to franchise tag QB Sam Darnold and keep J.J. McCarthy behind him in 2025.

J.J. McCarthy may not have played a single snap or thrown the ball even once during the regular season for the Minnesota Vikings, but he regularly posts his reactions to team news on his Instagram.

As Sam Darnold has become the latest quarterback to bounce back after an underwhelming stretch, the Vikings have both enjoyed

Under the former set of circumstances, in which the Vikings extend Darnold long-term, the franchise could decide to shop McCarthy -- who turns 22 years old later this month -- coming off of a rookie season in which he didn't take a single regular season snap.

The Minnesota Vikings are expected to consider moving unproven quarterback J.J. McCarthy in a trade this offseason.

"Prediction: The Vikings apply a $39M+ franchise tag on Sam Darnold, then trade J.J. McCarthy to the Las Vegas Raiders days before the NFL Draft. Darnold and the Vikings agree on a 4 year, $196M extension before the July 15 deadline that includes $110M guaranteed," Ginnitti wrote.

But McCarthy suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the preseason, and free agent signing Sam Darnold has led the Vikings to a surprising 14-2 record with a chance to win the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 overall seed on Sunday with a win over the Detroit Lions.

The teams are very familiar with each other by virtue of the connections between their coaching staffs and a regular-season meeting, won by the Rams.

Will the Minnesota Vikings consider a J.J. McCarthy trade this offseason? Get the latest Vikings update from today's NFL news cycle.

The Minnesota Vikings players and coaching staff aren't thinking offseason just yet, as they could win the NFC North and No. 1 overall seed in the NFC with a wi