The Minnesota Vikings have a QB competition on their hands between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray to determine the starter. After a challenging 2025 season due to their QB play, the Vikings want to ensure that this position doesn’t keep them from missing the playoffs this upcoming campaign.
Both players are in this competition with something to prove as McCarthy wants to show that he’s indeed the Vikings’ franchise signal-caller. Meanwhile, Murray is looking to prove that he’s still a starter in the NFL after the Arizona Cardinals cut ties with him this offseason.
Even though this storyline will dominate training camp, FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd doesn’t believe it’s an actual QB competition.
“They don’t want J.J. McCarthy to be a bust, but he’s a miss,” Cowherd said during the July 10 edition of “The Herd.” “That doesn’t mean he can’t go somewhere else and succeed. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold went elsewhere and found success, but the difference is the Vikings are a well-run organization with a great coach and a great defensive coordinator, and it’s not working…
“Kyler Murray is going to work here. He’s not going to work as well as Sam Darnold because he’s not as good as Sam Darnold, but Kyler Murray is going to win the job because he’s going to own the locker room. The players think he’s more talented.“
Colin Cowherd: J.J. McCarthy Can Find Success Elsewhere
Moreover, Cowherd believes that because it hasn’t worked out in Minnesota, that doesn’t mean McCarthy can’t leave and find success elsewhere. In recent years, there have been a few QBs that have found new life elsewhere after being a first-round pick, including Sam Darnold, Mac Jones, or Baker Mayfield.
“J.J. McCarthy may flourish elsewhere, but when you go to a solid organization, and it doesn’t work after two or three years, it’s not going to work. This is not the Jets… Eventually, even if you have a rocky start, you find your way in this league pretty quickly.
“And I think with J.J. McCarthy, I’m not rooting against him. I think he could find another organization, maybe like Arizona someday, but it’s not working because Minnesota is well run. Competition at quarterback in the NFL is nonsense. Nobody buys into that.”
Last season with the Vikings, McCarthy had 310 pass snaps, leading to a 61.8 overall PFF grade. Moreover, he threw for 1,632 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while also recording 19 big-time throws and 15 turnover-worthy plays.
Former Vikings’ Adam Thielen on J.J. McCarthy
While the national NFL media isn’t favoring McCarthy in this competition, former Vikings wideout Adam Thielen believes the young signal-caller can perform, highlighting several key traits.
“I love J.J.,“ Thielen said in a July 6 video from SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He’s a phenomenal dude; he’s a hard worker [and] he’s got that dog in him. He’s a competitor; he’s got all the intangibles to be really successful in this league. I’m really excited about what this does for his game.”
It will be interesting to see if McCarthy can parlay these intangibles into winning the QB or whether he will need to wait for his opportunity to get back on the field for Minnesota.
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