What Vikings' Kyle Murray QB1 decision means for J.J. McCarthy's future in Minnesota
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What Vikings' Kyle Murray QB1 decision means for J.J. McCarthy's future in Minnesota originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The Minnesota Vikings have made their decision on who the starting quarterback will be for the 2026 NFL season. It's not a surprise, as according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Kyler Murray has won the QB competition.
With Murray, the former Arizona Cardinals two-time Pro Bowler winning the QB1 job in Minnesota, where does that leave former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy?
Well, unfortunately for McCarthy, his future in Minnesota is looking quite bleak. Not only that, but there will be some serious questions about his NFL future now as well.
What happens to J.J. McCarthy after losing QB1 job to Kyler Murray?
With McCarthy losing the QB1 job to Murray, he is now firmly the backup quarterback in Minnesota for the upcoming 2026 season.
Kevin O'Connell isn't going to turn to McCarthy unless Murray is hurt, or the former Cardinals QB struggles mightily for a while.
But McCarthy likely won't get a chance to start this season unless one of those two things happens. With that in mind, it's fair to question whether McCarthy even has a future with the Vikings.
Drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy is under contract for two more seasons and has a fifth-year option for the 2028 season that, at this rate, the Vikings would likely pass on.
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There are now a few ways this could go for McCarthy. He could either stay with the team as their backup and hope to develop further in hopes of a second chance.
Or, the Vikings decide to move on from McCarthy, either through a trade or letting him walk in a few seasons, and he then has to restart his pursuit of a starting job with another franchise.
He struggled last season, throwing 12 interceptions to just 11 touchdowns in 10 games played with a 57.6 completion percentage and a 72.6 passer rating.
Those struggles, plus the lost 2024 rookie season, make for some big questions surrounding McCarthy's game. He's been injured often since coming into the NFL, and hasn't looked good when he's played.
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With all of that in mind, now factoring in that he's lost the QB competition for the 2026 Vikings, his future is very much uncertain.
He could be traded, kept as a backup without much of a chance to start for Minnesota over the next two years, or maybe even released if things go wrong from here.
But one thing is certain after this decision: the Vikings have effectively given up on McCarthy being their franchise QB.
They drafted him two years ago, and after just 10 games as a starter, this decision to go with Murray likely means his Vikings career is over.
He could still figure things out in his NFL career, as he's only 23 years old. But when it comes to being the QB of the Vikings, that ship has likely sailed.
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