The Minnesota Vikings kept J.J. McCarthy on their 53-man roster after speculation regarding his future. McCarthy didn’t play the preseason finale due to an injury, opening the door to speculation about whether the Vikings would consider trading or cutting him.
Nonetheless, that didn’t happen, and now the former No. 1 pick is reportedly QB3 but is also dealing with a multi-week sprained ankle. McCarthy will now look to recover and bide his time for whenever he takes the field as the starter.
With Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz both carrying injury histories, that could become a possibility this season. Minnesota may not want to give up on McCarthy, which could explain why the Vikings kept him on the roster.
However, former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe believes there’s another reason for the decision: The Vikings don’t want to admit they made a mistake.
“All things being equal, they probably kick the tires around and see if somebody was willing to trade for J.J. McCarthy,” Sharpe said on the Aug. 30 edition of “Nightcap.” “That’s what I would have done. The hardest thing, the biggest mistake that I think a lot of teams make, not just in pro sports, but a lot of the time, is they won’t admit I made a mistake.
“It’s okay. People make mistakes. You choose the wrong spouse; you choose the wrong girlfriend. You choose the wrong job. They choose the wrong employee. It happens.”
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.
Shannon Sharpe: Vikings Should Admit Their Mistake
Moreover, Sharpe noted that the Vikings should’ve admitted their mistake and either cut ties with McCarthy or sought a trade to move on.
“You exacerbate a situation when you refuse to admit that you’ve made said mistake and you stay in it,“ Sharpe added. “After a while, they don’t mean you any good and you don’t mean them any good, and you still won’t let it go. It’s not working out. I would rather let a person, if you and I are not working out, I’d rather you go somewhere and be happy than stay here and we both miserable. You know we miserable.”
J.J. McCarthy Needs to Be Ready for His Opportunity
With McCarthy now reportedly in a QB3 role for Minnesota, Pete Bercich of the Vikings Audio Network recently 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.”
It will be interesting to see whether McCarthy sees the field this season, whether with the Vikings or elsewhere if a trade emerges before the deadline.
J.J. McCarthy Decision Gets Clear Verdict After Vikings Roster Cuts