When Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings announced that Kyler Murray would start in Week 1 over incumbent(ish) J.J. McCarthy, it unleashed a stream of takes ranging from “least surprising news ever” to “this is a traitorous offense!”
You can pretty much guess who the usual suspects were for each reaction, but to say the fallout wasn’t uniform is probably more than fair.
But what does the future hold for McCarthy, who has played just 519 snaps entering his third NFL season? Is that future in Minnesota, or elsewhere?
We asked the experts from Daily Norseman in our latest edition of the roundtable:
Was the J.J. McCarthy vs. Kyler Murray battle real?
Brandon Warne: I think it came down to whether Murray showed up even semi-prepared/plugged in or not. He did, and he’s the starter.
Craig Williams: I don’t believe it was. It appeared to me that Kevin O’Connell had already turned the page in his mind prior to camp.
Warren Ludford: It was a competition, but not between equals.
Dave Stefano: Sort of.
Sam Buegler: I don’t know if I would call it a competition, but more of a race, with Kyler having 70 percent odds and J.J. having 30 percent.
If yes, was it fair?
BW: I don’t know about “fair” or “unfair.” McCarthy’s injury luck is far more unfair to him than anything O’Connell and Co. have thrown at him so far. The “forced to back up” tweet from Adam Schefter was hilarious, I might add. I think the writing was on the wall the second Murray was signed. And beyond that, one of the adages I hold closely no matter
WL: Murray has already developed the skill set necessary to be a quality starter, and McCarthy has not. I think KOC was trying to give some respect and motivation to McCarthy by going with a competition rather than naming Murray the starter outright when he was signed. But given the difference in skill sets, it was a race equivalent to a 40-yard dash with Murray having a head start at the 20.
DS: I say sort of because when the Vikings signed Kyler Murray, it was to motivate J.J. McCarthy. They needed to see a huge jump in his performance and processing, and even though there was a jump due to his offseason training and coaching, it wasn’t enough in the collective’s mind. The collective is the decision-makers, of which Kevin O’Connell is but one.
SB: Sure, J.J. had a chance to start, but it was more of a long shot if Kyler ended up not being what they hoped for. But I think that McCarthy knew that going into it. It was the unspoken thing throughout training camp, but they wouldn’t have brought in the former first overall pick if not to start. The overall fairness of the competition favored the media, even if there was an element of truth to it.
Where do you stand, at present, on McCarthy’s future as an NFL quarterback?
BW: I still believe there’s a solid starter in there. Or at the very least, I still believe we have no idea what his trajectory looks like. Again, he’s played just over 500 snaps — and they all come with a condition of “he’s functionally a rookie/he’s knocking off rust.” Anyone who acts like they’re certain, at least in my opinion, is having a hot take just to have a hot take.
CW: He’s one hit away from starting again, so it’s hard to count him out. He’s young and has a chance to develop. I could easily see him coming back like Sam Darnold.
WL: Odds and history don’t look favorable for McCarthy to become a quality starter in the future. The light could still come on, but there aren’t many examples like McCarthy to date eventually becoming a quality starter.
DS: I feel McCarthy will continue to develop into a starting QB with the right coaching and surroundings.
SB: Right now, I think he could be solid. He needs time to work on his mentality and poise, but he showed enough flashes to make me believe he might still have a career as a solid starter or a good backup. I would love to be proven wrong and blown away, but I think all the media attention, pressure, and memes have just rattled him. He needs a bit of time out of the spotlight to develop and come back stronger.
Will McCarthy take another regular-season snap with the Vikings?
BW: Yes, I think he will.
CW: No, I believe the Vikings move on from J.J. McCarthy and give Wentz the backup role.
WL: It’s possible McCarthy takes another snap for the Vikings if Murray is injured, and if he isn’t traded, he could still win the starting job next year, but that seems like a long shot at this point.
DS: As of now, yes.
SB: Yes.
If yes, when?
BW: Sooner rather than later, I think. There are just too many durability concerns with Murray. In fact, between Murray, McCarthy and Carson Wentz, you have a solid “see no evil/hear no evil/speak no evil” trifecta at quarterback.
DS: Sometime this season. As of now, he is QB2 behind a QB1 who also has an injury history. It is very hard for a starting QB to stay healthy enough to start and play all 17 regular season games (only about a third or less of teams have that happen).
SB: I do think he will have to come in, maybe not for a start or a full game, but I do believe that Kyler will have to come out at some point and J.J. will need to play for a drive or two or more. Probably not right away, maybe after Week 8, but I do believe he will have to play. Or – depending on how the season plays out – he could start Week 18. Give him a chance to prove how he has developed and matured. That is only if we are secure in the standings, whether for good or bad reasons; we don’t know.
If not, who will his next regular-season snap be with?
CW: The Chargers will get a lot of buzz for a potential landing spot. I like the Buccaneers, Dolphins, or the Patriots as potential spots as well. He won’t compete for a starting role, but he’ll be on a roster. Given the way the league works, he’ll likely get at least a few snaps for an injury, a concussion check, or garbage time.
WL: It’s anybody’s guess at this point where McCarthy may land in a trade or after his contract expires next year. If traded, maybe a trade with the Colts for Anthony Richardson, with hopes on both sides that a change of scenery will help their development. Otherwise, after his contract expires, maybe going to the Chargers as a backup to Herbert under Jim Harbaugh.