Wolverine Digest

NFL insider highlights dramatic fallout of Geno Smith trade, what it means for Minnesota

The Minnesota Vikings have some big decisions to make at the QB spot, and Seattle's recent trade of Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders only adds to the speculation.
Chris Breiler|
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Following massive news of the Geno Smith trade yesterday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport took to social media to highlight the fallout from the move. With Smith now off to Las Vegas to join the Raiders, Rapaport believes that the Seattle Seahawks have now turned their attention to Vikings QB Sam Darnold. The veteran QB who helped lead the Vikings to 14 wins in 2024 appears to be on his way out of Minnesota, meaning that J.J. McCarthy's time may be coming.

But Rapoport also indicates that the Vikings could go after Daniel Jones (a potential backup to McCarthy) or even be a dark horse candidate to land future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers. Those potential moves would obviously signal two very different meanings for McCarthy's immediate future in Minnesota.

When it comes to McCarthy, obviously the biggest unknown is his recovery process following a torn meniscus during the 2024 preseason in his rookie year. Although he looked impressive in his preseason debut against the Raiders, the fact remains that there's still some risk for the Vikings when it comes to going all-in on McCarthy.

With Darnold likely on his way out, we'll find out pretty quickly where Minnesota stands in terms of their confidence in McCarthy. If they bring in a guy like Jones, there's a pretty high probability that they're ready to elevate McCarthy to QB1 in 2025. But if they go after a guy like Rodgers, that would send a pretty clear message that they don't view McCarthy as a guy who's ready for that QB1 role.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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