Last season, head coach Kevin O’Connell placed his faith in quarterback J.J. McCarthy after Sam Darnold’s departure. There were a lot of expectations around McCarthy, but he failed to live up to them. In 10 games, he added only 1,632 passing yards and 11 touchdown passes with a 57.6% pass completion rate. Surprisingly, he recorded more interceptions (12) than touchdowns.

As a result, in the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings decided to sign veteran QB Kyler Murray, who is an experienced starter in the NFL. They also re-signed veteran quarterback Carson Wentz, who has had some memorable moments in the NFL, including his heroics as part of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he led the team to an important win against the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. All of this has started putting pressure on McCarthy’s position, and Charley Walters thinks that if a team presents the Vikings with the assets, they might look to move the QB.

“Depending on training camp performances, if the Vikings were to get a decent offer — say a third-round draft pick — for QB J.J. McCarthy, it wouldn’t be surprising if Minnesota starts the season with Murray, Wentz and perhaps Rush as its top three QBs,” reported Charley Walters on Pioneer Press.

McCarthy is a former first-round pick and the 2023 CFP National Champion. Despite such accomplishments, the Vikings are willing to let go of him for a third-round pick. While many will feel it to be underwhelming, McCarthy’s performance last season has changed the dynamic for his future. Apart from being one of the statistically worst QB1s in the league, the 24-year-old is also injury-prone.

In 2024, he suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during his rookie NFL preseason game. It sidelined him for the entire year. As he prepared to make a comeback in 2025, he suffered a high right ankle sprain in September in Week 2, which saw him miss five weeks of action. Later in November and December, he suffered a concussion and a hairline fracture in his throwing arm.

Despite the shortcomings of the last couple of seasons, McCarthy has shown improvement in the minicamps and OTAs. The HC has divided the first-team reps between Kyler Murray and McCarthy, and both of them have performed well. Unfortunately, it seems McCarthy is not happy with it and has a cold demeanor toward his competition.

While Murray has a warm and “overly receptive” demeanor toward McCarthy, the latter has kept it purely professional. He used a classroom analogy to explain their relationship during the minicamps.

“It’s just like two guys in a classroom,” said J.J. McCarthy. “He sits on one side. I sit on the other side. And it’s the coaches’ responsibility to teach us and coach us.”

Despite these comments, Kevin O’Connell is yet to decide on his starting QB. Both Murray and McCarthy still have time to prove why they deserve the spot, and a final decision is likely to only be announced after training camp.

“As far as the timeline goes, I think to give an actual date would not necessarily be accurate from a portrayal of how we see it, but there is a timeline to make sure that we can allow the competition to continue and advance and really lay out a training camp that will allow us to do that, but also make a timely decision.”

Last season, McCarthy did have some top moments with the Vikings, including his debut game with the team. He led the team from a 10-point deficit against the Chicago Bears with two passing touchdowns. He even had a 6-4 record as a starter, but the Vikings want to take the next step, and if that means they will have to part ways with McCarthy for a few draft picks, that would be something the franchise would opt for.

Moreover, if, after the training camp, O’Connell decides to go with Murray, who is a veteran QB, it is unlikely that McCarthy would be extremely happy playing second fiddle. His comments have already sparked a lot of debate in the offseason about the heat in the Vikings QB room. The Vikings would not want this to continue into the regular season and disrupt their rhythm.

But if McCarthy were to leave, wouldn’t it create a gap in the quarterback room? And who will start for the Minnesota Vikings as the QB1?

The Minnesota Vikings have several quarterback options for the upcoming season

If the Minnesota Vikings were to bid goodbye to J.J. McCarthy, it won’t pose them much of a problem, considering they have two first-rounders in their quarterback room. Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz are former first-overall and second-overall picks. The franchise signed Wentz for $3 million, and it is unlikely to be only a third-string QB. Interestingly, Charley Walters also pointed out another development in the Vikings QB room.

“Curiously, a few weeks ago, during the rookie mini-camp, the Vikings brought in former Dallas-Baltimore QB Cooper Rush for a tryout,” reported Charley Walters. “Remember, it was Rush who five years ago — subbing for injured Cowboys starter Dak Prescott in a Sunday night game in Minneapolis — passed for 325 yards and two second-half TDs to lead Dallas to a 20-16 victory.”

Last season, Cooper Rush signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens for $4 million. Currently a free agent, if the Vikings were to sign him, he would cost them around a similar range. It should not be a problem for the franchise, considering they have around $14 million in open cap space. Moreover, if McCarthy, whom the team values at $5.96 million for 2026, were to leave, the franchise would gain a bit more cap space.

With all the developments and predictions, the Minnesota Vikings are unlikely to face any problems in the upcoming season. Even during their minicamp last Thursday, Murray showed a strong, accurate arm, potentially signaling that he is ready to be the QB1. Besides, Murray has also been suffering from inconsistency, which forced the Arizona Cardinals to part ways with him. So, he will also be on the lookout to redeem himself.