'Out of my control': J.J. McCarthy's honest take on losing Vikings QB1 race to Kyler Murray originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Minnesota Vikings are set on who they want to lead their offense. For the longest time, it was assumed that J.J. McCarthy would take over the reins after Sam Darnold left. Coach Kevin O'Connell and the rest of the organization seem to have other plans. Kyler Murray was named the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. What did this mean for the former College Football Playoff National Champion out of the Michigan Wolverines? Well, he had a lot of thoughts. McCarthy reacts to devastating Vikings QB1 race loss to Murray The Vikings have decided that J.J. McCarthy will have to take a back seat again. Kyler Murray gets the chance to run Coach Kevin O'Connell's offense until further notice because of his likely veteran acumen and strong showing during training camps. Clearly, this might not have given the former Michigan star the best feeling, but he took the news quite well. McCarthy's next plan? It seems like he wants to keep growing as a quarterback to prove himself to Coach O'Connell and stay with the Vikings, via Nick Shook of NFL.com. "Obviously, every competitor wants to play. But moving forward, it's just about continuing to work hard and just staying ready for when my number's called. There are so many things out of our control, like the heat today. And it's just really having the discernment to figure out which of the two, and that was one of the things outside of my control. Me attacking and optimizing every opportunity, which was in my control, and that's all I was focusing on," the Vikings quarterback declared. See, the Vikings are placing a lot of pressure on Murray to work out because he is on a one-year deal. Naming the ex-Arizona Cardinals star their starting quarterback means Coach O'Connell wants to make the most out of their $1.3 million deal.
JJ McCarthy throws a strike down the seam for a Vikings TD! WASvsMIN on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVntpic.twitter.com/SFxu2fkgEe — NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025 McCarthy, on the other hand, already got the opportunity to start for the Vikings offense in the 2025 NFL season. Coach O'Connell leaned on him for ten games as a starter. However, the numbers just were not there for him quite yet. The Vikings saw him produce 1,632 passing yards on a 57.6% completion percentage alongside 11 touchdowns. The Vikings could not get enough yards with McCarthy running the offense, as he averaged only 6.7 yards per attempt, was sacked 10% of the time on passes, and threw an interception in 4.9% of his passes. "Like I've said before, this is the place I want to be. I love every single person in this building. I love this state. I love the fan base. I'm going to continue to do whatever I can for this team and this organization," McCarthy added. There are many changes Coach O'Connell likely wants to see from McCarthy. Hopefully, he is ready to step up if Murray does not pan out well. For now, alacrity is the former Michigan star's biggest leverage. This is nothing new to him; he already got to shine despite waiting for Darnold back in 2024. More Vikings News:
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