At the start of Minnesota Vikings training camp, the team kept the door open for former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to earn the starting job over Kyler Murray. Weeks after the starting competition was called, it now appears McCarthy’s role in Minnesota and his future with the organization are a growing uncertainty.
Appearing on Sunday’s SportsCenter, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler shared that the Vikings front office had fielded “a few trade calls” on McCarthy. While it’s unclear if the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft will be traded, Minnesota’s coaching staff is reportedly open to having Carson Wentz serve as the backup to Murray with McCarthy demoted to the the No. 3 quarterback spot.
The Vikings coaching staff has exercised patience with the young passer. After missing his entire rookie season due to knee surgery, McCarthy struggled as a first-year starter in 2025. While the team posted a 6-4 record, he completed just 57.6 percent of his pass attempts with an 11-12 TD-INT ratio and a 72.6 passer rating,a veraging just 163.2 passing yards per game with 27 sacks taken.
McCarthy’s on-field struggles prompted the organization to bring in Murray this offseason, signing him for the veteran’s minimum following his release from the Arizona Cardinals. Minnesota made it clear that McCarthy and Murray would both compete for the starting job in training camp, but Murray greatly outperformed the 23-year-old on the practice field.
Murray was named the Vikings’ starting quarterback on Aug. 11, allowing Wentz and McCarthy to get a majority of the playing time in the preseason. Facing the New York Giants on Aug. 15, Wentz completed 9-of-14 passes for 81 passing yards (5.8 yards per attempt) with one touchdown and a 103.6 passer rating, whereas McCarthy completed just 4-of-7 attempts for 34 yards (4.9 ypa) and a 69.9 passer rating.
Coming out of the preseason opener, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated that Wentz could be the team’s backup quarterback to open the season over Murray. On Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, Wentz completed 9-of-11 attempts for 92 yards (8.4 ypa) with a 101.5 passer rating. Meanwhile, McCarthy completed 5-of-10 attempts for 81 yards (8.1 ypa) with a 77.5 passer rating.
Wentz also demonstrated before last season’s injury that he seemed to have more of O’Connell’s trust when it came to operating the Vikings offense and playing in rhythm. That’s been further backed up this preseason and is seemingly pushing Minnesota closer towards making the veteran Murray’s backup while its former first-round pick gets demoted to third on the depth chart.
If the move is made official, it wouldn’t be a surprise if McCarthy’s agent pushed for a trade to get the young quarterback a change of scenery. However, the Vikings likely wouldn’t get anything back higher than a Day 3 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, punting on a former top pick who the franchise just a few years ago believed would be the face of the team by now.
Matt Johnson is Senior Editor of NFL and College Football for Sportsnaut. His work, including weekly NFL and college … More about Matt Johnson