Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) under center against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
"Unpredictable;" JJ McCarthy lost Minnesota Vikings starting job due to off-field concerns 1
Following the 2023 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings were faced with a choice. They could either continue on with Kirk Cousins as their quarterback, or they could find a new younger player to take over under center. Minnesota opted for the latter, and selected JJ McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
In addition, the Vikings signed former third overall pick Sam Darnold, who had become somewhat of a journeyman. The plan, of course, was for Darnold and others to give McCarthy some competition in training camp; but it was clear that they wanted their 10th overall pick to start right away.
Of course, that is not what happened.
CBS Sports cites NFL sources on why JJ McCarthy lost the starting job for the Minnesota Vikings
Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images, JJ McCarthyAug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images, JJ McCarthy
Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately for the Vikings, McCarthy tore his ACL during training camp and was lost for the season. Fortunately, Darnold resurrected his career in his lone season in Minnesota. He had a 66.2% completion percentage, 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 102.1 passer rating.
Darnold’s renaissance, though, presented Minnesota with a difficult choice once again: do they re-sign the quarterback who just led them to a 14-3 regular season record or their 10th overall pick. Again, they chose the latter.
And it was a disaster.
In his first full season spent healthy, McCarthy started 10 games because his performance was so poor, the Vikings felt like Max Brosmer gave them a better chance to win down the stretch. The former 10th overall pick had a 57.6% completion percentage, 1,632 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 72.6 passer rating.
Minnesota went 6-4 in his starts, and 9-8 overall.
This off-season, the Vikings signed two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray to give McCarthy competition for the starting job, but have already declared that the former Arizona Cardinals star will be lining up under center come Week One.
McCarthy will be his backup, not just because of his poor play last season, but also because of some troubling issues that CBS uncovered when talking to their sources around the league.
Per their latest report, “It was largely due to other important parts of being an NFL starting quarterback such as managing a team, commanding the huddle and — as one source shared with CBS Sports — McCarthy being ‘unpredictable’ on a daily basis in addition to the obvious on-field growing pains with the No. 10 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.”
Another told them, “With J.J., you weren’t sure which version you were going to get. I think he’s just still so young and may not have understood yet what that position fully entails and things like the consistency and day-to-day commitment.”
Last year, following a win, McCarthy went viral for his “Nine” alter ego, a statement and meme that fans ridiculed mercilessly on social media for months.
As it turns out, “Nine” may have been the reason he lost his job. He was so unpredictable and too inconsistent that head coach Kevin O’Connell decided pretty quickly that McCarthy will not be his starting quarterback in 2026.
It will be interesting to see if he ever is the starting quarterback again in Minnesota.
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