If J.J. McCarthy cannot outduel Kyler Murray for the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback job in training camp, the noise around the third-year former first-round pick is going to reach even higher levels than it has already reached.
The Vikings traded up to acquire McCarthy, but injuries wiped out his rookie season, while they combined with inconsistency to spoil his 2025 campaign.
With a new general manager and Murray’s arrival, McCarthy’s time in Minnesota seems limited.
J.J. McCarthy Catches Stray in Comments About Vikings Rival
GettyJ.J. McCarthy caught a stray in comments about a rival quarterback.
McCarthy was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, with the Vikings trading up one slot to select him in a deal their partners, the New York Jets, were very happy to oblige. When healthy, he has struggled with his accuracy and touch.
Former NFL GM Scot McCloughan believes McCarthy’s ceiling is a QB2.
“My personal opinion, of course. But I’m just one guy. I think the quarterback from Alabama [Ty Simpson] is overdrafted,” McCloughan said on 980 AM on July 3.
“It’s the position alone. I think–not being a guru–but he’s like J.J. McCarthy. He’s like Mac Jones. He’s a career backup. Ideally– ideally–he might start. But that’s because of where his pick was, and a they-want-to-prove-everybody-right type of thing. And that’s not the way you should build a roster. Not at all.”
The worst part about that for McCarthy is that he was mentioned unprompted. It is the latest mention that paints the Vikings’ young QB in an unflattering light, following a report about former The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini saying he “sucks” during a traffic stop.
McCarthy arrived in Minnesota with the hope of the franchise on his shoulders.
Just two full seasons into his career, which has amounted to 10 games on the field, have soured the Vikings enough to put McCarthy’s future in question, not just with Minnesota, but in the NFL.
Kyler Murray Prediction Ominous for J.J. McCarthy
GettyKyler Murray is expected to beat out J.J. McCarthy for the Minnesota Vikings’ starting QB job.
The Vikings’ decision to bring in Murray has been praised, even as they have insisted he will compete with McCarthy for the starting job in training camp. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell chose it as the move he liked most for the Vikings this offseason.
“The best thing about the Vikings’ offseason is them signing Murray to a veterans minimum deal,” Barnwell wrote in June. “It was a boon for Minnesota. Murray’s services would be worth many millions more on the free market, and he provides an answer at quarterback in the wake of J.J. McCarthy’s rough 2025 season.
“Adding Murray doesn’t necessarily solve the Vikings’ long-term quarterback questions, but it gives them something to work with in the short term … and potentially longer.”
NFL.com’s Nick Shook expects Murray to have a bounce-back season.
“Murray’s shift from Arizona to Minnesota isn’t quite the discovery of an oasis, but it’s certainly a better situation for the former No. 1 overall pick than the one he inhabited in the desert,” Shook wrote on June 1. “Yes, he’s going to win the job over J.J. McCarthy, and I believe he’ll form a beautiful partnership with [Vikings head coach Kevin] O’Connell.”
That is an ominous prediction for McCarthy, whose support from O’Connell waned heading into the 2025 season. That trust appears to have all but completely eroded following a rough second season in the NFL.
Former GM Throws Major Shade at J.J. McCarthy Amid Vikings Uncertainty