The Minnesota Vikings had a QB battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy to determine their starter. Nonetheless, the battle didn’t last long; after OTAs and minicamp, Minnesota named Murray QB1 early in training camp.
Moreover, Carson Wentz was QB2, which pushed McCarthy to QB3 on the team’s depth chart. Eventually, the Vikings would cut ties with McCarthy, trading him to the New York Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Despite the competition with McCarthy, Murray showed nothing but respect for his former teammate as the Vikings starter shared his thoughts on the trade while speaking to the media on Oct. 1.
“I think that in this business, it’s a business, but as a brother of maybe a couple months now, he accepted me, and you hate to see a guy go like that,” Murray told reporters. “But I loved my time with him.
“I loved every second that I had with him, regardless of what people may have thought. I wish him nothing but the best over there in New York, but I got to say my goodbyes. It was good. It was a good deal for us.”
Eli Manning on J.J. McCarthy Trade to the Giants
With McCarthy now in New York, former Giants quarterback Eli Manning shared his thoughts on the former first-round pick. McCarthy will have to be ready for his opportunity behind starter Jameis Winston, who has been inconsistent since taking over for Jaxson Dart after his season-ending injury in Week 2.
“He’s a young kid,” Manning said during a Sept. 30 appearance on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.” “For whatever reason, it did not work in Minnesota. But the kid’s 20-something, 21, 22 years old, and it’s a lot thrown at you. So I think it’s just a fresh start coming in this year. I don’t think they’re, I don’t know the game plan, but I don’t think he’s expected to come in and, hey, you’re going to start playing right away.
“You got Jameis Winston, a veteran. Give him time. Hey, learn the system, be around, just relax a little bit, and who knows? Just kind of a restart and give this guy a chance. Maybe down the road, he could be a backup for a little bit, be a project and see what happens. He’s had success and is a young kid, and I think there’s a chance he can make this a turnaround opportunity.”
Vikings’ Kyler Murray Gets Major Backing From Dallas Turner
As for Murray, while there are offensive concerns about the Vikings despite the Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Turner isn’t worried. He also noted that the team is backing Murray, which should give the former No. 1 pick confidence that they can iron out any issues.
“I’ll just say, Kyler is definitely a very, very athletic quarterback,” Turner said during a Sept. 30 appearance on “Good Morning Football.” “I kind of saw it during camp when I was trying to get a move around, and then you still have to tap off or try to just get near Kyler. This is doggone impossible, if you ask me, during practice.
“But definitely an athletic quarterback. You can tell he’s a leader on the offensive side of the ball, and a lot of guys on the offensive side and on the defensive side trust him a lot.”
Vikings’ Kyler Murray Makes Feelings Clear on J.J. McCarthy Trade