What happened to J.J. McCarthy?
In less than two years' time, J.J. McCarthy has gone from a celebrated Michigan Man to a man that just lost his job. On Tuesday, the Vikings announced that Kyler Murray won his position battle against McCarthy and will be Minnesota's starting quarterback.
The announcement is the latest in a series of setbacks for McCarthy since he helped lead Michigan to the school's first national title since 1997. The 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy has made just 10 starts for the Vikings, and while he did manage to win six of those starts, it clearly wasn't enough to convince Kevin O'Connell that he is the right person to lead Minnesota's offense moving forward.
Only 23, McCarthy's NFL career already seemingly appears to be on life support. It's worth revisiting how things got to this point so quickly for a player who -- despite his turbulent start -- still has plenty of time to turn things around, whether it's in Minnesota or somewhere else.
Michigan's title run tainted by sign-stealing scandal
Michigan's championship season was scrutinized before, during and after the Wolverines captured the national title. In August 2025, the NCAA imposed significant punishments on Michigan stemming from a sign-stealing scandal that began prior to the team's championship run in 2023.
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At this point, it's no longer a debate as to whether or not Michigan crossed the line during that time and received a considerable advantage over its opponents. The question remains how big of an advantage did it give the Wolverines and their players, McCarthy included.
Regarding McCarthy, it's fair to wonder how much his play was aided by the scandal and the advantages it gave him and his teammates. His current struggles, fairly or not, would suggest that Michigan's hidden advantage back then helped him considerably.
At the time, however, the scandal didn't deter the Vikings from selecting McCarthy with the 10th overall pick. Looking back, it's clear that the Vikings were comfortable with McCarthy's body of work at Michigan that included a 28-1 record during his final two seasons as the school's starting quarterback.
Season-ending injury
McCarthy was slated to spend his rookie season in 2024 as Sam Darnold's backup. That plan quickly fell through, however, after it was announced following the Vikings' preseason opener that McCarthy had torn his meniscus. His rookie season ended nearly as fast as it started.
Instead of using his rookie season getting live reps during the preseason and practice reps during the regular season, McCarthy spent it rehabbing his injury. It's safe to say that the injury significantly hampered his growth as an NFL quarterback.
Darnold, however, ran with his opportunity to lead Minnesota's offense. He helped the Vikings post a 14-3 record before signing a multiyear deal with the Seahawks after Minnesota let him test the open market. Part of the reason why the Vikings let Darnold walk was the belief they had in McCarthy.
A year after leaving Minnesota, Darnold hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after helping the Seahawks win their second Super Bowl.
Success followed by more injuries
Healthy, McCarthy entered the 2025 season as the Vikings' starting quarterback. He won his first career start in dramatic and historic fashion. In leading the visiting Vikings to a come-from-behind win over the Bears on Monday night, McCarthy was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. His performance included becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to score three fourth-quarter touchdowns in his NFL debut.
In leading the Vikings from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit, McCarthy went 13 of 20 for 143 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for a score.
McCarthy's meteoric rise wouldn't last long, however. The following week, the Vikings were held to just six points in a home loss to the Atlanta Falcons with McCarthy throwing for just 158 yards and tossing a pair of picks. After the game, it was announced that McCarthy had suffered a high ankle sprain. The injury would sideline him for the Vikings' next five games.
McCarty returned for the Vikings' Week 9 game against the Detroit Lions, and the outcome was eerily similar to Week 1. McCarthy again threw for 143 yards with two touchdowns and an interception to go with a rushing score helping lead Minnesota to a close win. He struggled during the next three games, however, as the Vikings lost each game while scoring a combined 42 points. Following the Vikings' third straight loss (a 23-6 loss to the Green Bay Packers that saw McCarthy throw for just 87 yards and two interception), it was announced that McCarthy had sustained a concussion that would sideline him for Minnesota's Week 13 loss to the Seahawks.
McCarthy returned the following week and had two of his best performances of the season. He threw a season-high three touchdowns during the team's 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders. In Week 15, he threw for a season-high 250 yards with two touchdowns and an interception during the Minnesota's 34-26 win over the Cowboys in Dallas.
The injury bug hit again, however, during the Vikings' eventual Week 16 win over the Giants when McCarthy suffered a hairline fracture in his throwing hand that led to him not playing in Minnesota's Week 17 win over the Lions. McCarthy returned for Week 18 and threw for 182 yards in Minnesota's season-ending win over the Packers.
McCarthy's rookie season was truly a rollercoaster that clearly cast doubt in the Vikings' brain trust about his ability to lead the offense moving forward. While he did win more of his starts than he lost, McCarthy threw more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11). He also completed just 57.6% of his passes.
Injuries undoubtedly factored into McCarthy's struggles last season while opening the door for the team to bring in some competition during the offseason.
Murray comes to Minnesota
Minnesota acted quickly in terms of bringing in quarterback competition. On March 12, shortly after free agency had started, the Vikings acquired Murray less than two weeks after he was released by the Arizona Cardinals.
Murray's arrival presented a stiff challenge for McCarthy. While he had his share of ups and downs in Arizona that also included some notable injuries, Murray was nonetheless a two-time Pro Bowler who had largely played well for the Cardinals when he was healthy. During his seven seasons in Arizona, Murray completed an impressive 67.1% of his passes with more than twice as many touchdowns (121) than interceptions (60). He also ran for 32 scores while averaging a whopping 6 yards per carry.
It goes without saying that Murray wasn't always set up for success in Arizona. In Minnesota, he entered a pretty ideal situation in terms of playing for a quarterback whisperer in O'Connell and having arguably the NFL's best receiver to throw to in Justin Jefferson. The general consensus was that Murray would beat out McCarthy if he is able to take advantage of his new situation. That's ultimately what happened.
A new situation
Early on, it was clear that something was off with McCarthy and Murray. That became clear when both quarterbacks offered far different assessments of their partnership. McCarthy's comments made it apparent that he looked at Murray as competition and not as a mentor.
McCarthy's mindset was understandable then as he was in the middle of a competition. But now that the competition is over, it'll be interesting to see how McCarthy handles his new situation. Rest assured that his handling of 2026 will have an impact on how things go for him in 2027 and beyond.
MaroonBells wrote:
You make it sound like the griddy was the only deciding factor in the competition.
Neither QB had shown good enough from the reports to have been declared a winner, there wasn't a competition.
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
JimmyinSD wrote:
Neither QB had shown good enough from the reports to have been declared a winner, there wasn't a competition.
We’ll never win anything with a coach who doesn’t listen to the reports.
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." —George Orwell
JimmyinSD wrote:
Neither QB had shown good enough from the reports to have been declared a winner, there wasn't a competition.
I'd disagree, even as a JJM supporter.
The more I watched training camp clips and listened to what was being reported... the vast majority of the highlight throws from JJ McCarthy were outside the hashes. He excelled on the deep outs and sideline throws last year, but really struggled to get things going consistently over the middle of the field. You can't succeed as an NFL QB without being able to use the whole field. Kyler has thrown some picks on those sideline routes, but he doesn't have the same arm strength as JJ to make that.
He's definitely improved since last year by my eyes. His footwork and throwing mechanics are better and he's learning to on layer the ball more consistently. But some of his completions over the middle appeared to be where he held the ball too long and likely was touched for a sack. He's gotta speed up his processing and anticipation on those types of throws.
Then you factor in that him and Jefferson weren't hooking up as much as Kyler was, it shows that one QB is more comfortable giving the best WR in football a chance to make a play.
Kyler has probably had the best two practices of either QB this entire off-season after he was named the starter. Hopefully that continues because it could lead to a fun year. I'm not going to be butt hurt about it because "my guy" (still love you JJ) didn't win the job. Hoping it makes him laser focused and he levels up again during the season and gives the coaches something to think about heading into next year.
MAD GAINZ wrote:
I'd disagree, even as a JJM supporter.
The more I watched training camp clips and listened to what was being reported... the vast majority of the highlight throws from JJ McCarthy were outside the hashes. He excelled on the deep outs and sideline throws last year, but really struggled to get things going consistently over the middle of the field. You can't succeed as an NFL QB without being able to use the whole field. Kyler has thrown some picks on those sideline routes, but he doesn't have the same arm strength as JJ to make that.
He's definitely improved since last year by my eyes. His footwork and throwing mechanics are better and he's learning to on layer the ball more consistently. But some of his completions over the middle appeared to be where he held the ball too long and likely was touched for a sack. He's gotta speed up his processing and anticipation on those types of throws.
Then you factor in that him and Jefferson weren't hooking up as much as Kyler was, it shows that one QB is more comfortable giving the best WR in football a chance to make a play.
Kyler has probably had the best two practices of either QB this entire off-season after he was named the starter. Hopefully that continues because it could lead to a fun year. I'm not going to be butt hurt about it because "my guy" (still love you JJ) didn't win the job. Hoping it makes him laser focused and he levels up again during the season and gives the coaches something to think about heading into next year.
Yeah....at some point, you clearly read the writing on the wall. JJ still needs seasoning....what hurts him is throwing anticipatory throws. The processor is still slow. That can be brutal.
If you, I and Canthony can move forward from JJ into Kyler mode, any fan can. But it all begins with being a fan of the team foremost. Its really not that hard after processing, lol. Skol.
StickierBuns wrote:
Yeah....at some point, you clearly read the writing on the wall. JJ still needs seasoning....what hurts him is throwing anticipatory throws. The processor is still slow. That can be brutal.
If you, I and Canthony can move forward from JJ into Kyler mode, any fan can. But it all begins with being a fan of the team foremost. Its really not that hard after processing, lol. Skol.
I think the processing thing is just reps and experience. You see him making quick decisions at other times and in those late game situations so I don't think it's an issue that he can't process fast enough at the NFL level. It's just the down to down consistency. Hopefully now that the pressure of the competition is over, he starts letting it rip in practice. Make some mistakes, learn from it, but play fast. We saw Kyler start doing it after he was named the starter. JJ McCarthy can too (I hope).
After the disappointment of how the 2024 season ended and last year went with the injuries and QB carousel, I just want to see us win. Win the North, win a playoff game... and maybe more? A dude can dream...
MAD GAINZ wrote:
I think the processing thing is just reps and experience. You see him making quick decisions at other times and in those late game situations so I don't think it's an issue that he can't process fast enough at the NFL level. It's just the down to down consistency. Hopefully now that the pressure of the competition is over, he starts letting it rip in practice. Make some mistakes, learn from it, but play fast. We saw Kyler start doing it after he was named the starter. JJ McCarthy can too (I hope).
After the disappointment of how the 2024 season ended and last year went with the injuries and QB carousel, I just want to see us win. Win the North, win a playoff game... and maybe more? A dude can dream...
For sure. Processing is something young QBs are often challenged with early on, and that’s always been part of the argument several of us have made about McCarthy being shortchanged by the lack of meaningful reps.
Development is different for everyone, but at some point, you have to actually play the game to learn how to process the game faster. You can't hold a clipboard and develop the same anticipation, timing and recognition that comes from seeing NFL defenses repeatedly in live situations.
And that's the frustrating part of this whole situation. The criticism now is that JJ needs more seasoning, more reps, needs to speed up his processing and needs to trust what he sees. Well...that's exactly what we were saying he needed when the decision was made to bring in Murray. 😂
That doesn't mean JJ was guaranteed to become a franchise QB. It means there was still a developmental curve to work through, and we never really got to see what that curve looked like because his first NFL season disappeared before it started and his second was interrupted by multiple injuries.
I do think having Kyler around can help JJ from a developmental standpoint. Watching another QB operate, seeing how he attacks certain situations and even competing against him can give JJ a different perspective and hopefully help him trust himself enough to let it rip. The question is whether JJ can take that experience and turn it into faster processing and more consistent execution.
And as for Kyler, we've already seen that he's at his best when he's playing loose and confident. It'll be interesting to see how that version of Kyler and KO coexist throughout the season. If KO can keep him playing freely while getting him to operate within the offense, this could be a really interesting season.
Alrighty then… We have codependently worked through our JJ therapy session and are ready for release into the wild. LFG.
StickierBuns wrote:
Regardless of what Kyler ends up doing in Minnesota this year, McCarthy as a prospect for the team as a future QB is really on life-support and probably will have the plug pulled this off-season. When you listen to both Teasley and O’Connell talk about McCarthy, it’s almost like they have a little bit of a bitter taste in their mouth for whatever reason.
if it does come down to trade, it'll be for reason (s)...
I personally hope it doesnt come to that. But our reality is if K1 has a great year and they all feel good? I could see some kind of extension and then draft a QB again in 27 for the future king.
I'm putting the horse way b4 the cart!!!!
But JIT; you'd better be ready to be studying QB tape.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
purplefaithful wrote:
if it does come down to trade, it'll be for reason (s)...
I personally hope it doesnt come to that. But our reality is if K1 has a great year and they all feel good? I could see some kind of extension and then draft a QB again in 27 for the future king.
I'm putting the horse way b4 the cart!!!!
But JIT; you'd better be ready to be studying QB tape.
“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”
Shakespeare
MAD GAINZ wrote:
I'd disagree, even as a JJM supporter.
The more I watched training camp clips and listened to what was being reported... the vast majority of the highlight throws from JJ McCarthy were outside the hashes. He excelled on the deep outs and sideline throws last year, but really struggled to get things going consistently over the middle of the field. You can't succeed as an NFL QB without being able to use the whole field. Kyler has thrown some picks on those sideline routes, but he doesn't have the same arm strength as JJ to make that.
He's definitely improved since last year by my eyes. His footwork and throwing mechanics are better and he's learning to on layer the ball more consistently. But some of his completions over the middle appeared to be where he held the ball too long and likely was touched for a sack. He's gotta speed up his processing and anticipation on those types of throws.
Then you factor in that him and Jefferson weren't hooking up as much as Kyler was, it shows that one QB is more comfortable giving the best WR in football a chance to make a play.
Kyler has probably had the best two practices of either QB this entire off-season after he was named the starter. Hopefully that continues because it could lead to a fun year. I'm not going to be butt hurt about it because "my guy" (still love you JJ) didn't win the job. Hoping it makes him laser focused and he levels up again during the season and gives the coaches something to think about heading into next year.
I heard the same reports about KM stepping it up AFTER he was named starter, until then he was reported to be just as inconsistent as JJM. So for me to say he didnt win the compeition, based on reports prior to him being named started he hadnt. I find it refreshing to hear he has stepped up his results, but a little concerning that when he had pressure from JJM in the form of competition that he wasnt able to show the same level of results.
As far as what JJM excelled at last year.. I cant really say I thought he looked overly impressive in anything to say he excelled since the ball was often sailing on him, even many of his completions were high or not leading the receivers ( not unexpected from a young guy with a ton of pressure in basically his rookie season) ... but I had hopes for improvement and it sounded like he has shown improvement, I am hoping that when JJM gets his opportunity that he shows why they took him 10th and make Teasley forget about an extension for Mighty Mouse Murray.
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
MaroonBells wrote:
We’ll never win anything with a coach who doesn’t listen to the reports.
well.... we havent won much with any of them, so I am not expecting much either way from the coaching perspective.
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
MAD GAINZ wrote:
I'd disagree, even as a JJM supporter.
The more I watched training camp clips and listened to what was being reported... the vast majority of the highlight throws from JJ McCarthy were outside the hashes. He excelled on the deep outs and sideline throws last year, but really struggled to get things going consistently over the middle of the field. You can't succeed as an NFL QB without being able to use the whole field. Kyler has thrown some picks on those sideline routes, but he doesn't have the same arm strength as JJ to make that.
He's definitely improved since last year by my eyes. His footwork and throwing mechanics are better and he's learning to on layer the ball more consistently. But some of his completions over the middle appeared to be where he held the ball too long and likely was touched for a sack. He's gotta speed up his processing and anticipation on those types of throws.
Then you factor in that him and Jefferson weren't hooking up as much as Kyler was, it shows that one QB is more comfortable giving the best WR in football a chance to make a play.
Kyler has probably had the best two practices of either QB this entire off-season after he was named the starter. Hopefully that continues because it could lead to a fun year. I'm not going to be butt hurt about it because "my guy" (still love you JJ) didn't win the job. Hoping it makes him laser focused and he levels up again during the season and gives the coaches something to think about heading into next year.
Bingo. Where I am at. JJ clearly wasn't the better QB and Kyler earned the starting role. Has JJ improved? Absolutely. He just really needs to get his decision making faster. Much faster.
JimmyinSD wrote:
Neither QB had shown good enough from the reports to have been declared a winner, there wasn't a competition.
I don’t necessarily believe that. I kind of think that K1 was the standard that JJM had to beat by a certain point in time, or alternately KOC had a standard that both of them had to beat, and if no one beat it he was going with the more mature, more proven and tested option.
JJ got another slice of humble pie, and so did Murray IMO. Neither won the job how they both respond has yet to be determined.
Trading JJ relieves stress on Murray, Murray needs to be pushed and he's injury prone. Don't trade JJ.
Mattyman wrote:
JJ got another slice of humble pie, and so did Murray IMO. Neither won the job how they both respond has yet to be determined.
Trading JJ relieves stress on Murray, Murray needs to be pushed and he's injury prone. Don't trade JJ.
The Vikings will need both of them for the long haul through an entire season...
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