Adam Schefter J.J. McCarthy
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports, Reuters Images
The Vikings entered training camp with two quarterbacks gunning for the starting job in former franchise first-round pick J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray, who signed with the franchise in free agency after beginning his career with the Arizona Cardinals.
On Tuesday, the franchise announced that before even a single preseason game has been played, Murray has won the job. ESPN’s senior NFL insider, Adam Schefter, reported on the decision and made sure to add some context to how McCarthy’s career has gone thus far.
“J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury and started just ten games last year, with Minnesota winning six of them. Now the still only 23-year-old will be forced to be a backup,” the insider posted on X.
J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury and started just ten games last year, with Minnesota winning six of them. Now the still only 23-year-old will be forced to be a backup https://t.co/Sw8qAMuBrL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2026
“What a spin zone.”
Many felt that Schefter’s coverage of the situation was “intellectually dishonest” and warped by his fandom of the University of Michigan, where McCarthy played his college ball, and where the insider went to school, and they let him hear it on social media.
“Schefter is such a shill, it’s amazing to watch. No one has less integrity than him,” one sports writer and author, Zito Madu, posted on X.
“You can actually read the teardrops on the keyboard, ” one fan added.
“What a spin zone. In tears at FORCED to be a backup,” another fan added.
“Forced to be a backup is a heckuva way to describe the situation,” someone else wrote.
It’s certainly interesting verbiage from Schefter, but everything he said regarding McCarthy is true. Hopefully, the young quarterback has an opportunity to show what he can do soon.
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