What's next for JJ McCarthy?

The Minnesota Vikings announced yesterday that former Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray would be signing with the team. The move kind of puts the writing on the wall for what’s to come in JJ McCarthy’s 2026 season.

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The Vikings drafted JJ McCarthy 10th overall just two years ago in the 2024 NFL Draft, fresh off a National Championship victory with the Michigan Wolverines. McCarthy’s career didn’t start off as expected, tearing his meniscus in the first preseason game and appearance of his Minnesota career. This ended his rookie season before it really even got started, and the rest so far hasn’t gone much smoother, as the 23-year-old quarterback played just 10 games in the 2025 season.

Throughout the small sample size we have from McCarthy, we witnessed a lot of ups and downs. The most unfortunate part wasn’t his disappointing play but the inability to stay on the field, suffering an ankle sprain, a concussion, and two hand injuries in his first starting season. We saw flashes of what could be the future of the Minnesota Vikings franchise and then low moments reminiscent of Christian Ponder’s disastrous time here. In the end, McCarthy was able to finish with a 6–4 record as a starter but was only able to complete eight full games.

Now the question we are all waiting for…

What's Next for JJ McCarthy in Minnesota?

With the Vikings signing Kyler Murray to a one-year veteran minimum deal, they face a very low-risk, high-reward scenario with him. The Vikings may have a “quarterback competition” to start camp, but it would be a surprise if JJ McCarthy were able to beat out the experienced seven-year veteran.

This doesn’t 100% close the door on McCarthy’s career in Minnesota, but it does leave a smaller gap for JJ to make it through again. As a fan, you kind of just have to hope this lights a fire under McCarthy and he really hits the field running — fixing his mechanics, studying the game more, staying mentally intact, and just going through the process of being a quarterback even if he’s sitting on the bench.

This time could, in the end, become a blessing in disguise for the former top-ten draft choice, who is still only 23 years old.

What's Kevin O'Connell's plan?

As stated, this signing is a very low-risk scenario for the Minnesota Vikings. Everything this team does, though, should have some sort of plan for JJ McCarthy in the process. You don’t just spend a top-ten draft choice on a kid and give up on him after 10 games. So it begs the question for KOC: what’s the plan?

The plan that makes the most sense is letting JJ McCarthy “compete” in camp while still giving Kyler Murray the majority of the first-team reps. McCarthy needs to be involved if you still want him to be part of this franchise’s future in the end. Keeping him involved in the game plan, meetings, and practices — while still having those one-on-one meetings between McCarthy and O’Connell — will be vital in the kid’s development.

One of the things we think is important to note is that JJ McCarthy was flat-out just not ready to start in the NFL last season, despite what the Minnesota Vikings believed. McCarthy is more of a Jordan Love-length project that got a Josh Rosen or Anthony Richardson-type approach by starting him right away as soon as he was healthy. This is a recipe for disaster in most cases, but are the Vikings able to turn it around?

By signing Kyler Murray to a one-year deal, which isn’t a commitment at all, it gives JJ McCarthy a window to still start in 2027. This gives McCarthy his “Aaron Rodgers” to start over him while he has time to learn behind the scenes. In no way are we comparing Kyler Murray to Aaron Rodgers on a football level, but situationally it makes sense for the JJ McCarthy and Jordan Love developmental timeline.

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