Murray wins Vikings QB job over McCarthy; scouts split
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- Kyler Murray won Minnesota's starting quarterback job over J.J. McCarthy, a decision head coach Kevin O'Connell made before the first preseason game after McCarthy's inconsistency throughout the offseason
- McCarthy finished with 12 interceptions and just 11 touchdown passes in 10 starts last season, posting the second-worst passer rating among NFL quarterbacks with more than 155 attempts
- Concerns about McCarthy's maturity and day-to-day consistency dated to last summer, when some Vikings players and staffers privately viewed undrafted rookie Max Brosmer as better prepared to be the Week 1 starter
- NFL scouts and coaches who studied McCarthy in recent months told CBS they see him more resembling busts Zach Wilson and Trey Lance than quarterbacks who revived their careers elsewhere like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield
- Multiple injuries — including a knee injury that cost him all of his rookie year and a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him for five games last season — have disrupted McCarthy's development in his first two NFL campaigns
- Front office sources told CBS they could envision McCarthy getting another starting opportunity, either by competing again in Minnesota or pursuing a starting job with another team, though a defensive coach noted he must learn to 'not do too much'
Why it matters: The Vikings invested the No. 10 pick in 2024 on McCarthy, so relegating him to backup duty behind a 2019 No. 1 overall pick they traded for signals significant doubt about a player they once built around. With McCarthy only 23 and still possessing the athletic profile that made him a top-10 selection, several NFL front offices are actively scouting him as a potential reclamation project — meaning his next chapter could unfold elsewhere if Murray holds the job.
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