JJ McCarthy Predicted to Fall Out of QB2 Spot With Vikings

The most prominent conversation surrounding the Minnesota Vikings in early June is the tension between JJ McCarthy and Kyler Murray for the starting quarterback job heading into the upcoming season, but there’s a chance things could get even worse for the No. 10 overall pick from the 2024 NFL draft as the year progresses.

The prevailing opinion around the league is that Murray is in line to win the QB1 role this summer. However, Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated predicted on Wednesday, June 3 that not only will McCarthy start the season as the backup, but that he will finish it as QB3 behind Carson Wentz.

“All three Vikings quarterbacks — Wentz, McCarthy and Kyler Murray — will play at some point this season,” Orr wrote. “Murray will get the lion’s share of snaps while Wentz steps in during a critical two-game late-season stretch to keep Minnesota’s playoff hopes alive.”

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Vikings Panned for Letting Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones Walk Last Offseason in Favor of JJ McCarthy

That excerpt was from a list of 100 bold predictions off Orr’s pen heading into the preseason. And while it may not come to pass, it highlights just how far McCarthy has fallen from the golden boy quarterback in Minnesota.

The Vikings let Sam Darnold leave in free agency for a three-year deal from the Seattle Seahawks, now the reigning champions. The team also chose not to pay Daniel Jones to stick around, so he left for a one-year contract from the Indianapolis Colts and has since signed a lucrative extension despite suffering an Achilles tear mid-season.

Meanwhile, McCarthy battled injuries again in Year 2 after missing all of his rookie campaign with a knee problem. He finished the year with a 6-4 record, after which Vikings ownership fired former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and brought in Murray on a one-year contract — presumably to start in Week 1.

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Kyler Murray Represents Problems for Vikings Next Offseason

McCarthy has struggled with that notion, making comments last week that fed fire to existing speculation that he wants out of Minnesota.

The problem for the Vikings, however, is that moving McCarthy now would be selling on a top-10 pick with two years remaining on an affordable rookie contract at his lowest value. The entire reason McCarthy elevated into the starting job in 2025 was because he represented an organizational bet on an inexpensive signal-caller, around whom the franchise could build an impressive roster.

Murray’s addition hasn’t materially changed that equation, as the Vikings paid him just $1.3 million on a league-minimum deal after the Arizona Cardinals released Murray in March while still owing the quarterback $36 million in 2026.

The circumstances are a boon for Minnesota during the upcoming season, as they acquired a two-time Pro Bowler in his late 20s for literally the cheapest price possible. But Murray won’t come cheap in 2027, regardless of whether he plays well.

As such, punting on McCarthy via a trade this summer is akin to forfeiting a backup plan the franchise might need if Murray struggles or gets hurt this year, or if Murray plays well and out-prices the Vikings in the next free agency cycle.

A through-line to the era of head coach Kevin O’Connell, which has lasted the past four years in Minnesota, is kicking the can down the road under center with continuous one-year plans at QB.

The current situation puts the organization between a rock and a hard place at the game’s most important position heading into 2026 regardless of whether Murray succeeds or not, which isn’t an ideal scenario regardless of the outcome.

Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible