The Baltimore Ravens have spent years building around Lamar Jackson, and that formula has produced some of the most electric offense in the league. Even so, the organization has never fully solved the question of what happens when Jackson is unavailable.
That uncertainty is exactly why a modest move for J.J. McCarthy, as outlined by Zachary Rotman of FanSided, deserves serious consideration in Owings Mills.
Jackson remains the face of the franchise, yet he has missed significant stretches with injuries and is signed only through 2027. Behind him sits Tyler Huntley, a capable but limited veteran whose career record as a starter sits at 7-9 with nearly as many interceptions as touchdown passes.
That profile does not inspire confidence if the Ravens need someone to keep a playoff push alive or to stabilize the position after Jackson’s current contract expires.
McCarthy has not proven himself at the NFL level after missing 2024 and struggling through limited 2025 action, but his ceiling is still higher than Huntley’s. A former top-10 pick who won a national title at Michigan still possesses the arm talent and mobility that once made scouts dream.
The coaching connection strengthens the case. New Ravens head coach Jesse Minter spent years as Michigan’s defensive coordinator while McCarthy was the Wolverines’ starting quarterback.
Minter already knows how McCarthy processes the game, how he responds to pressure, and how he fits into a scheme that values timing and physicality. That familiarity lowers the usual risk of bringing in a young quarterback who has yet to find his footing.
Baltimore would not be asking McCarthy to start immediately. The goal would be to develop him in a low-pressure environment behind Jackson while giving the front office a cheaper, higher-upside insurance policy than what currently exists.
Rotman suggested the price would be a fourth-round pick and a seventh-rounder. From Baltimore’s perspective that cost is almost trivial. Fourth-round selections often become role players or depth pieces; a seventh-rounder is frequently a flyer.
Surrendering those assets for a quarterback who was selected in the top 10 two drafts ago, and who already has a relationship with the new head coach, is the definition of a low-risk swing.
Minnesota’s leverage is weak. McCarthy’s value has cratered after preseason struggles and a minor ankle injury that kept him out of the finale, so the Vikings are in a “take what you can get” position rather than a seller’s market.
For the Ravens the calculation is straightforward. They protect themselves against Jackson’s durability questions, they add a developmental piece who already speaks the language of the new coaching staff, and they do so without mortgaging future first-round capital.
In a league where quarterback depth can decide seasons, that kind of opportunistic addition is worth making before the cut-down deadline arrives.
