The Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback situation is one of the biggest conundrums any team will face heading into the NFL offseason.
The Raiders were hoping to have a shot at either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in the NFL Draft, but thanks to a couple of late-season wins, that dream just got a heck of a lot more challenging.
Las Vegas has fallen all the way down to sixth in the NFL Draft order, which means the Raiders will have to trade up in order to secure one of the two signal-callers.
Or could Las Vegas explore another avenue to find an answer under center?
Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac has revealed a fascinating prediction for the Raiders, projecting that they will be able to acquire J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings.
"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," Ginnitti wrote. "Darnold and the Vikings agree on a 4 year, $196M extension before the July 15 deadline that includes $110M guaranteed."
Minnesota selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick last spring, but the University of Michigan product suffered a knee injury in preseason that knocked him out for the year.
Darnold then stepped in and led the Vikings to a 14-3 record, making the Pro Bowl in the process. The catch is that the former No. 3 selection is slated to hit the free-agent market, and Minnesota may not want to let him get away.
If the Vikings do decide to re-sign Darnold, it will almost surely be a long-term deal considering he is just 27 years old. In that scenario, McCarthy would become expendable.
This isn't the first time Las Vegas has been linked to a potential McCarthy trade, and it probably won't be the last over these next few months.
McCarthy could represent a very viable option for the Raiders if they feel they won't be able to bag one of Sanders or Ward in April.
The question is whether or not Las Vegas would actually want McCarthy, who had his fair share of detractors when he entered the draft last year.
