JJ McCarthy considered 'unpredictable' as Vikings hand starting QB role to Kyler Murray: report

It may not have come as a surprise to people that Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin OConnell quickly named Kyler Murray the starting quarterback of his offense over J.J. McCarthy, the teams 2024 first-round selection.

But a recent report indicates that its more than just what happened on the training camp practice field between Murray and McCarthy that may have factored into such a quick decision.

It was last summer when some within the Vikings organization were concerned that McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury and struggled with consistency in 2025, was "unpredictable," according to CBS Sports.

In fact, some believed that Max Brosmer, who was an undrafted free agent added to the quarterbacks room, shouldve been the one under center for Minnesota in Week 1.

That wasnt the case, but the Vikings made it quite known after watching McCarthy complete 57.6% of his passes and throw 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions across 10 games – Minnesota went 6-4 over that span – they were in the quarterback market this offseason.

KYLER MURRAY AND JJ MCCARTHY GIVE WILDLY DIFFERENT ANSWERS ABOUT THEIR VIKINGS QB ROOM DYNAMIC

"A franchise quarterback is supposed to be the stability piece of a franchise, like you know what youre getting every day. But with J.J., you werent sure which version you were going to get," the source said to the outlet. "I think hes 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."

The Vikings landed Murray, the former No. 1 overall pick of the Arizona Cardinals, who moved on from him after a roller-coaster tenure in the desert.

And before they faced the New York Giants for their first preseason bout of the 2026 NFL season, the Vikings came right out and named Murray their starter.

So, what exactly does McCarthys future hold as hes in Year 3 and serving as a backup now? One defensive coach told CBS Sports that "he is talented," though he needs to "learn how to manage a game and not do too much and not do more than whats required of him." If that happens, perhaps the Vikings, or a different team, can trust him in a starting role.

But thats the thing: is it too soon to discuss McCarthy playing for a different team already? The Vikings do have a new GM, Nolan Teasley, who is not tied to McCarthys selection. That was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, whom the Vikings fired this past offseason.

Theres also the injury factor that hasnt allowed McCarthy to really get going after winning a national championship with Michigan and being a top 10 pick to the Vikings. The sample size is only 10 games, and though his quarterback rating was the second worst among signal callers with more than 155 pass attempts, there were some flashes of good quarterback play.

And then theres his age. McCarthy is only 23 years old and can still grow and develop within the position. But he still has tons to prove.

The only problem is Murray, who has proven more in his career thus far, is someone OConnell trusts more right now with his offense. And OConnell knows what works — just look at what he did with Sam Darnold in 2024 while McCarthy was injured throughout the season. Darnol