After speculation swirled as to whether the Minnesota Vikings would cut J.J. McCarthy or trade him before the roster cutdown deadline, that didn’t happen. The Vikings decided to keep McCarthy, for now, and have four QBs on their 53-man roster.
Nonetheless, McCarthy appears to be QB2; at least that’s how his name was listed when the Vikings announced their roster. Regardless, if it’s QB2 or QB3, McCarthy is no longer the starter and is a backup, which was different at this time last year.
With McCarthy now in a backup role, Pete Bercich of the Vikings Audio Network shared his straightforward outlook on the 23-year-old’s future: Be ready.
“I think it leaves a lot of room for questions because he’s not the starter right now; Kyler Murray is,” Bercich said during an Aug. 30 appearance on FOX 9. “I’ve said this before: J.J. McCarthy’s life is different now. He has to be ready.
“He has to be ready to play number two against the Green Bay Packers, to jump in there, take that spot and then never give it back. So it’s a different attitude. Gotta get himself back on the field.”
Minnesota Gets Strong Message on Keeping Four QBs
Moreover, Bercich spoke about the Vikings’ decision to keep four quarterbacks on the roster.
“We’re one of 14 teams in the league that kept four quarterbacks,” Bercich added. “We only kept eight offensive linemen. And I look back in the last 10 years, and nine was the lowest number of linemen that we’ve had. So a lot of times when you have players that you really like, that you really think if you cut and put out there for waivers will get picked up, but you really want to keep them, then yeah, you might go through a week of the season with a lower number at a different spot.
“As the season goes on, you have injuries and things, and you may have to make some adjustments. So does it mean we’ll have four all year? My point is, does it mean we’ll have four all year? I don’t know what their plan is, but I’ve seen it before, and that’s a lot of times what teams will do to protect the player that they really like.”
Vikings Must Be 100 Percent Sure on Any J.J. McCarthy Decision
Last season as the starter, McCarthy had 310 pass snaps, leading to a 61.8 overall PFF grade. He also threw for 1,632 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, while recording 19 big-time throws and 15 turnover-worthy plays.
This time around, he will now have to sit back, learn, and wait for his number to be called. Kyler Murray does have a history with injuries, so there’s a chance that, if that trend continues, McCarthy could see the field at some point this season.
Regardless of what the Vikings decide with McCarthy, Phil Mackey of “Purple Daily” wants the team to be 100 percent sure that the player is a bust and won’t go elsewhere to thrive.
“Are you sure he’s a bust?” Mackey said on the Aug. 26 edition of “Purple Daily.” “Because a lot of people are convinced that J.J. McCarthy is a dud. He’s a bust. Are people not even slightly worried about the Vikings potentially bailing on him before the season?
“… That’s my only question: Are you not a little worried that this whole process is going to come back to bite the Vikings and look really bad in like two years?”
J.J. McCarthy Handed Blunt Outlook After Vikings Roster Decision