The Minnesota Vikings‘ QB battle is in its early stages, but there are already conversations regarding what the team might do if J.J. McCarthy loses the competition to Kyler Murray.
Despite the Arizona Cardinals cutting ties with Murray, the former No. 1 pick showed that he can be a starter in the NFL. His problem, though, has been consistency and health, which he hopes will be on his side in this one-year prove deal with the Vikings.
Many expect Murray to win the starting job, and Darren Wolfson of KSTP is among those who share this view. However, Wolfson noted that if McCarthy were to fall to QB3, he can’t confidently say that the former first-round pick will be on the 53-man roster.
“This is not a quarterback competition,” Wolfson said on the June 7 edition of “Purple Daily.” “I’m sorry. In spite of everything they’re saying publicly, it’s not a competition. The competition is Carson Wentz being the No. 2 quarterback. Are they trading J.J. McCarthy before Week 1? There is no debate about who the starting quarterback is against the Packers in Week 1. We know it’s Kyler Murray…
“I think Carson Wentz being the No. 2 makes a lot of sense.. You mean to tell me that Carson Wentz is QB3? It just doesn’t make sense to me. And J.J. McCarthy being QB3? No. I don’t know. As we’re sitting here this first weekend in June, can I definitively tell you that Week 1 J.J. McCarthy is on the 53-man roster? I don’t feel confident telling you that.”
Percentage That J.J. McCarthy Gets Traded Before Week 1
Moreover, Wolfson shared his percentage when asked whether Minnesota would consider trading McCarthy before Week 1 if he ends up being QB3 behind Murray and Carson Wentz on the depth chart.
“I’m certainly over 50 percent. I don’t know if I’m as high as 90 percent right this second, but yeah, I think I’m more thinking along the lines of not whether J.J. McCarthy is here Week 1, but what you’re getting in return in a trade for J.J. McCarthy.
“Is it a sixth? Is it a seventh? Can you get a fifth? Can you get even higher than that? He’s got multiple years left. If you’re a team acquiring J.J., doesn’t it make more sense to make that move now compared to midseason or after the season, when you have much more of a runway to evaluate him?
“… So sure, 90 percent, I’m not going to debate you strongly on that. I’m just not quite at 90 percent, but I’m over 50 percent. I think it does make enough sense that McCarthy is going to end up elsewhere.”
Vikings Players Seem to Like Both QBs in the Competition
Wolfson also briefly shared the dynamics in the Vikings’ locker room regarding the two QBs. While a competition could cause players to choose sides, for now, the players in Minnesota seem to like both QBs ahead of mandatory minicamp.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt in that locker room about Kyler’s talent, by the way,” Wolfson said. “They know how good Kyler is and what he can still create. But J.J. McCarthy is incredibly well-liked. He really is.
“Guys love him. Going back to the Wild Card playoff game when they all bonded, there are any number of instances I can cite. J.J. McCarthy is very, very popular in that locker room. That being said, it’s just hard to see him here in September.”
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