J.J. McCarthy was the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings last season. McCarthy missed the entire 2024 season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Vikings went 9-8 with McCarthy and didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
Minnesota added strength to its quarterback position by bringing in Kyler Murray from the Cardinals. Now the two quarterbacks are competing for the starting position, and Colin Cowherd had something to say about where things stand between McCarthy, Murray, and the Vikings.
“They don’t want J.J. McCarthy to be a bust, but he’s a miss,” he said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “The Vikings are a well-run organization with a great coach and a great defensive coordinator, and he’s not working.”
Cowherd mentioned Sam Darnold on the show, who played one season with the Vikings and put up the best numbers of his career. Despite that, he joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2025 and won a Super Bowl with them.
Cowherd believes that Kyler Murray will work in the Vikings’ setup. Even though he has doubts about whether he will be as effective as Darnold, Cowherd said that Murray’s inclusion will work in his favor.
As for J.J. McCarthy, Cowherd said he might be able to unlock his full potential if he joins another team. But even in that scenario, McCarthy doesn’t look good because he couldn’t perform in what Cowherd believes to be a “well-run organization.”
Even though McCarthy joined the team in 2024, that wouldn’t count because he got injured and had to sit out the entire season. So, technically, he has only played one season with the Vikings. Some fans argue that before declaring him a bust or a miss, McCarthy deserves one more chance to prove himself.
Vikings HC on J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray
From the Vikings’ perspective, it’s an exciting time if they have two talented quarterbacks fighting for the QB1 position. J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray will enter training camp with one mission.
During a recent appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell talked about his two quarterbacks.
“Kyler has come in and done a great job. J.J., I think, has benefited from it; he had a really good spring,” he said. “Carson Wentz is this veteran quarterback in the room that, as a guy who’s played seven or eight quarterbacks in the last four years, the two years we had our starter play the whole season, we won 13 and 14 games.”
O’Connell said that he wants to “get back to the standard of having the quarterback position be a driving force.” If the quarterbacks do their jobs and put other teammates in positions where they can contribute, he believes the Vikings can make a huge splash next season.
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