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The Minnesota Vikings find themselves in the middle of early offseason speculation involving Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow. Minnesota need to bolster the signal-caller position, but a move for the Bengals star would be swinging for a home run.
This entire rumor began on Jan. 22 when On SI’s Grant Cohn, a beat reporter covering the San Francisco 49ers, was debunking any speculation of the Niners trading for Justin Jefferson. However, in that same video, he mentioned that the Vikings are willing to make a huge trade offer for Burrow.
“[The Vikings] want to get right back into contention,” Cohn said in a video posted on X. “They’re planning to offer J.J. McCarthy and Jonathan Greenard, and two first‑round picks to the Cincinnati Bengals for Joe Burrow. If the Bengals say no, then they might go out and get Kirk Cousins, bring him back.”
As a result, this rumor is creating a wildfire. Despite all the speculation, On SI’s Bengals beat reporter, James Rapien, gave a blunt take on the entire situation.
“I‘m more likely to play for the Vikings in 2026 than Joe Burrow,” Rapien wrote on X on Jan. 23. “Thanks and have a goodnight!”
J.J. McCarthy Under Pressure Heading Into 2026
CBS Sports recently highlighted seven quarterbacks facing the most pressure in 2026, and J.J. McCarthy landed on that list. NFL analyst Ran Carthon noted that McCarthy avoiding a rehab-heavy offseason could be a quiet advantage as he heads into his third pro season.
Still, Carthon suggested the Vikings are unlikely to sit idle this offseason and look to add a quarterback capable of taking advantage of a roster built to compete right away should McCarthy falter either in training camp or during the 2026 regular season.
“For J.J. McCarthy and for the Minnesota Vikings, for that matter, this offseason is going to be critical because J.J. is going to need to approach this offseason from the standpoint of being able to work on his game and not have to be rehabbing an injury,” Carthon said during a Jan. 21 appearance on CBS Sports HQ. “So this is going to be really key for him.
“I do believe that the Minnesota Vikings will have a backup plan in terms of a veteran quarterback to bring in there because this team is too good a team to sit and wait for this guy to develop, because you’re going to miss the primes of a lot of really good players that they have on offense and defense.”
Vikings Urged to Pursue QB to Compete With J.J. McCarthy
This past season, McCarthy had a passer rating of 72.6 with 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games for the Vikings, per StatMuse. Not dazzling numbers for the Michigan product, but it was Season 1 as the starter for Minnesota.
On the Jan. 20 edition of “Up & Adams,” former Vikings pass-catcher Kyle Rudolph believes that Minnesota need to bring in a quarterback who can compete with McCarthy.
“I think they have to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with J.J. I think it’s a big mistake that they made last year, just handing over the reins and not having a veteran to compete with them,” Rudolph said. “There certainly were a few options, one of which is playing this weekend in the NFC Championship game. Another one, in Daniel Jones, was in the locker room last year.
“I’m a huge fan of and absolutely love his game. And this doesn’t mean that J.J. can’t be your quarterback of the future, but just handing him over a Super Bowl caliber roster and saying, ‘Okay, go for it,’ and not having a veteran that is in that room and competing against them, I ultimately think that you’re not setting him up for success.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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