Las Vegas Raiders v Minnesota Vikings | Adam Bettcher/GettyImages

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a playoff team, but questions remain about the future of the franchise—none bigger than the quarterback position. After an ugly three-game stretch, Russell Wilson no longer looks like the quarterback who can take this team back to a Super Bowl.

Wilson and fellow quarterback Justin Fields have expiring contracts and both will be unrestricted free agents in 2025. While many believe the Steelers will hand Wilson a sizeable contract extension, the veteran QB turns 37 years old next season and we can only expect his play to diminish.

The Steelers need a true franchise quarterback—one who can man the QB position for years to come. But these don’t grow on trees and Pittsburgh rarely selects high enough in the NFL Draft to land one.

But what if a young franchise signal-caller was available for trade?

Recently, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter was on ESPN Radio to share his thoughts on the quarterback situation in Minnesota. While he can’t say for sure if the Vikings would be willing to part with J.J. McCarthy, Schefter is very confident teams will be calling about the young quarterback.

“I definitely think teams will be checking in with the Vikings to see if they have any interest in trading J.J. McCarthy,” Schefter said on ESPN Radio. “Now, they may say, ‘We don’t.’ And that’s the end of it. But do I think teams will explore that option that you just raised here already? Of course! Absolutely. One hundred percent.”

Schefter believes McCarthy could have been the top quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, and that the Vikings will get back everything they gave up to draft him and more.

“J.J. McCarthy would have been a top if not the top quarterback in this draft…,” Schefter said. “If the Vikings decided if they wanted to trade him (which I don’t know if they will), I believe they would get back everything they put into him and then some.”

Steelers should trade a king’s ransom for J.J. McCarthy

The Steelers are desperate to find a franchise quarterback, but taking one in the 2025 NFL Draft won’t be the answer. This is a poor draft class and a bad QB class overall. The best prospects this year—like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward— are going to go early as desperate teams attempt to solve their quarterback problems.

I agree with Schefter. If McCarthy had waited a year, he would have been the top quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft and likely the first overall pick. Instead of selecting an underwhelming QB option on Day 2 or being forced to wait until at least the 2026 draft to look for a franchise quarterback, the Steelers could make a move for their guy during the 2025 offseason.

At 6’2 1/2” and 220 pounds, McCarthy is of good size, has a live arm, and has excellent athletic traits. Though the first-round pick suffered an ACL injury in the preseason, he will be fully recovered early in the offseason. The injury could have been a blessing in disguise as he had the chance to sit and learn with a brilliant offensive mind in head coach Kevin O’Connell.

What’s perhaps most intriguing is that McCarthy is still just 21 years old (he will turn 22 during the NFL Playoffs). This means that the Steelers could have him for over a decade if he proves to be the quarterback many NFL Draft analysts believed he would be.

So why would the Vikings turn the page on McCarthy?

The answer is simple: Sam Darnold. The 27-year-old had a brilliant 2024 season—his first with the Vikings. Darnold wound up as an MVP candidate, won the locker room, and led his team to a successful season with one of the top records in the NFL.

With the dominance of Darnold this year, the Vikings will want to capitalize on a Super Bowl window and bring back the impressive quarterback on a new contract. Instead of forcing McCarthy to sit behind Darnold on the bench for years, they could sell high and load up on draft capital to build around an already talented roster in Minnesota to make the must of this championship window.

If the Vikings are willing to trade McCarthy, a deal would not come cheap. Schefter believes Minnesota will get everything they spent on McCarthy and then some. This means a team may be forced to give up a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and possibly more to get a deal done.

Considering the alternatives, this wouldn’t be a bad move. The receiving team would be getting a young, talented quarterback with three years remaining on a rookie contract plus a fifth-year option.

With the current state of the Steelers roster, streaming a veteran quarterback could be their approach. Pittsburgh’s best players are in their 30s and Mike Tomlin may not want to exercise patience when it comes to a rookie quarterback. But this is a short-term fix at best.

What’s undeniable is that the Pittsburgh Steelers have major questions at quarterback and they need a franchise signal-caller. Trading for a talented prospect like J.J. McCarthy would be a no-brainer if the Vikings make him available in the 2025 offseason.