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The future of J.J. McCarthy with the Minnesota Vikings is uncertain, but the young QB does control his situation. Although the team did sign Kyler Murray this offseason to a one-year contract, this is a quarterback battle to determine who will be the starter in 2026.
As a result, while McCarthy has a cloudy future, he does control his destiny, and all he needs to do is beat out Murray. Moreover, should he lose this competition, the question is whether the Michigan Wolverines product’s time with the Vikings and as an NFL starting QB is over?
On the March 17 edition of “Get Up,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes that the Vikings aren’t done with McCarthy, nor is the player done being a starting QB when talking about the Minnesota QB and Michael Penix Jr.’s future.
“Neither one of [Penix or McCarthy] has started 15 games in the league yet,” Graziano said. “You bring in Tua Tagovailoa in Atlanta. There’s a chance that Michael Penix Jr. isn’t ready to start the season. You bring in Kyler Murray in Minnesota because you want to push J.J. McCarthy.
“I think it’s a complete overreaction to assume that these guys’ teams are done with them, and certainly that they’re done as starters in the NFL. Way too early.”
Would the Vikings Consider Trading J.J. McCarthy?
Should McCarthy lose the competition, questions will arise about whether the Vikings could consider trading him. On March 13, Vikings reporter for The Athletic, Alec Lewis, shared whether McCarthy could be on the trade block later this year.
“[Trading McCarthy] cannot be completely ruled out,“ Lewis wrote in his article. “Two factors matter in the overall calculus: How perturbed are McCarthy and his camp by the Murray signing? And what would other teams offer?
“The Vikings have publicly reiterated their feelings about McCarthy and that they see an advantage in giving him competition. They aren’t completely all in for 2026, evidenced by their measured approach in free agency. But they’re also not punting on a season that must reestablish their standing as formidable foes in the NFC North.”
Kyler Murray Gets Blunt Outlook for 2026 Season
Nonetheless, it appears most NFL media are seeing Murray as the winner of this QB battle once training camp and the preseason get going. On March 16, Kay Adams had a positive outlook on Murray, believing he will edge out McCarthy to be the Vikings’ starting QB.
“I do like it more and more and more,” Adams said on “Up & Adams.” “It’s the kind of move that you wanted them to make last year with Aaron Rodgers. They took a bit of a swing here, low risk, high reward.
“I know there’s plenty we all are demanding to see from the talented Kyler Murray, but the ceiling is, they’re going to blow the roof off this thing. We’ve seen flashes of it. We’re not absolving Kyler of responsibility for the lack of team success during his time in Arizona…
“I’m excited for a bit of a fresh start here, a roster that is built to win. Now, with that comes, and with a Coach of the Year offensive mastermind in KOC as a play caller, as a leader in this league, and a terrifying defense, there’s a lot of pressure. Kyler is not going to fly under the radar on this team.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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