JJ McCarthy, Vikings
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Quarterback JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
JJ McCarthy has started just 10 games for the Minnesota Vikings across two years, but two NFL analysts/insiders say he’s shown plenty enough for the franchise to move on to other options under center.
Mike Florio and Michael Holley of Pro Football Talk last week urged the team to move on from McCarthy after inking Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz to one-year contracts this offseason.
“It appears that somebody thought … that you could take a college fastball pitcher in JJ McCarthy and turn him into a pro craftsman,” Holley said. “And you can’t.”
“That was a big miss,” Holley continued. “He may be a good quarterback in a different system, but for the Vikings … that’s not gonna work. He’ll never be that. I just don’t think he’s wired that way.”
Florio went so far as to imply McCarthy is already a bust and that keeping him around any longer could prove a major mistake that will amplify the error the team already made by drafting the former national champion out of Michigan in the first place.
“You don’t hear many voices that are willing to say this, because … how dare you point out that the bust rate [in Round 1] is 50/50,” Florio said. “You don’t find out until it’s time to get to work, and that’s what the Vikings have found out, and now they have to make their plans accordingly. And the worst thing you can do is double-down on a mistake. If you make a mistake, you admit it and you move on. If you double-down you’re only gonna make it worse.
“It may be not for long for McCarthy in Minnesota,” Florio continued.
JJ McCarthy Could Compete for QB1 Jobs With Several NFL Teams After Vikings Inked Kyler Murray
Minnesota Vikings, Kyler Murray
GettyQuarterback Kyler Murray, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals.
Cutting McCarthy makes zero sense, as he has two years remaining on his rookie contract and would undoubtedly find a home quickly on the waiver wire.
Instead, if the Vikings are going to sever ties with McCarthy, they should look to trade him to one of a handful of teams that might have use for a QB2 with the potential to start this season, or down the line.
The Arizona Cardinals could be suitors after inking Gardner Minshew to a one-year contract worth $8 million following their decision to cut ties with Murray this offseason. The Pittsburgh Steelers are also a logical landing spot, regardless of whether Aaron Rodgers comes back in 2026 or not.
The Cleveland Browns could also bring McCarthy in for a Day 3 draft pick and pit him against Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson for the QB1 job next season.
JJ McCarthy Could Still End Up Starting Games for Vikings in 2026
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
All of that said, there is a strong argument for the Vikings holding onto McCarthy in 2026, depending on how he has taken the news of the team’s decisions to sign Murray and Wentz to free-agent contracts in March.
That could mean McCarthy starts the year as QB3. However, if he plays well in the preseason, McCarthy will have just as good of a chance to start as either of his counterparts. Murray and Wentz have also proven injury-prone over the courses of their respective careers, and there is no guarantee that McCarthy wouldn’t find himself back in the starting lineup at some point even if he begins the preseason buried on the depth chart.
If Minnesota can get a fourth- or a fifth-round pick for McCarthy in the coming months, as teams sort out their QB rooms, it might be willing to make a trade and simply move on in the best interests of all parties involved. But the Vikings do not need to look urgently to deal McCarthy, as they could also find a viable trade market for him this summer, ahead of the mid-season deadline, or even next offseason.