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Carson Wentz, Kyler Murray make next move for Vikings' J.J. McCarthy obvious
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- Carson Wentz, Kyler Murray make next move for Vikings' J.J. McCarthy obvious
J.J. McCarthy 's "welcome to the NFL " moment was as brutal as anyone's – especially given what seems like its ongoing duration.
There's no quicker way for the shine to come off a top-10 draft pick than for him to suffer a season-ending injury in his first pro game – a preseason contest at that. Then his perceived insurance policy, Sam Darnold , led the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024 and nearly the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed before settling for a league mark for the most regular-season wins by a wild-card entry.
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Of course, the Vikes infamously allowed Darnold to leave last year and all he did was lead the Seattle Seahawks to victory in Super Bowl 60 . As for McCarthy? His first season on the field was sullied by injuries and inconsistency. Minnesota won five fewer games and missed the playoffs – then signed two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray , the No. 1 pick of the 2019 draft, to their quarterback room last week. Perhaps worse? McCarthy's backup in 2025, Carson Wentz – the No. 2 pick in 2016 – re-signed on March 19 .
What does it all mean for McCarthy? He's basically been effectively snuffed in Skol country.
The NFL isn't fair, we all know this. It isn't fair to established superstars in their primes – just ask Maxx Crosby . It isn't fair to first-year head coaches or legendary ones – just ask Nathaniel Hackett, Steve Wilks or Pete Carroll. And, these days especially, it certainly isn't fair to presumed franchise quarterbacks who don't experience near-instant success. Just ask Darnold.
Or McCarthy.
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"I absolutely want a competitive situation," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said about his QB depth following the 2025 season, when McCarthy made his first 10 regular-season starts. "Obviously, J.J. is going to be a major, major emphasis for our staff and our team and me personally, and we'll figure out what that looks like as we navigate the early part of this offseason when it comes to managing the roster.
"(B)ut I think ultimately, we've got to decide how to not only continue J.J.'s progression − allow him to continue to ascend as a young player, 22 years old with 10 starts − but at the same time, like I said, I think the competition in that room will only enhance our entire team."
Yet Murray, a man who had options this spring, didn't sign with the Vikings five figurative minutes after being cut by the Arizona Cardinals because he was worried about losing an alleged competition with McCarthy. (And given how loaded this roster is elsewhere, don't be the least bit surprised if Murray takes Minnesota to the postseason as Darnold did.)
As for Wentz? He obviously had his reasons for coming back, too − even if an outfit like the New York Jets and a reunion with offensive coordinator Frank Reich might have presented a better opportunity for Wentz to play extensively in his 11th NFL season. But a guy who grew up next door in North Dakota and rooted for the Vikings as a kid also outplayed McCarthy last year while filling in for him before an injury to his non-throwing shoulder ended his season in October. Wentz certainly knows the lay of the land here, the players and O'Connell − and definitely understands this is effectively Murray's team, at least for 2026. Yet the presence of McCarthy and Max Brosmer , an undrafted rookie who also started twice in 2025 and was regularly praised by O'Connell, didn't deter Wentz from re-upping.
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So whither McCarthy?
The writing's on the wall, buddy. What happens in the NFL, especially during the offseason, is more telling than what's said … and O'Connell hasn't said a whole lot since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's surprising firing in late January. But it's pretty clear that McCarthy is effectively in a battle with Wentz for the QB2 role − and maybe even in a fight for his roster spot altogether. O'Connell, a former quarterback himself and one with a sterling reputation for coaching the position, doesn't seem likely to say it publicly, but a fresh start is assuredly in McCarthy's best interest − especially after the ouster of Adofo-Mensah, the analytics specialist (one with scant on-field experience) who drafted him in the first place.
As Murray prepares to ramp up in Minnesota, it's a good time for McCarthy and the team to begin seeking a mutually beneficial off ramp – one that probably couldn't be taken, in the form of a trade anyway, until after June 1 due to salary cap ramifications similar to the ones that have seemingly left A.J. Brown 's status in limbo with the Philadelphia Eagles .
But the arrival of Murray and return of Wentz are clear signals that the Vikings have limited confidence in McCarthy, who went 27-1 as a starter for the University of Michigan and helped guide the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023 − while surrounded by blossoming NFL talent and rarely having to take a leading role personally when it came to winning games in Ann Arbor. Though McCarthy played better down the stretch last season, the Vikings needed more than a highly athletic game manager. And financially? A player who's unlikely to have a significant role in 2026 – unless Murray (and maybe even Wentz) gets hurt – almost certainly won't have the fifth-year option of his rookie contract picked up next year, further muddling McCarthy's near-term outlook and security.
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So rather than stay in a situation where the first-round bet on you has been massively hedged after two years and 10 games, why not go the Darnold route? He spent 2023 as a backup for the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers and credits that experience with coach Kyle Shanahan and QB1 Brock Purdy for igniting his career turnaround after failed stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers .
"Because of the year in San Francisco , I was able to learn a ton − learned from Brock and coach Shanahan," Darnold said in the lead-up to Super Bowl 60 in February.
"I was able to learn and go to Minnesota and played great football there, then I was able to come to Seattle and kind of do the same. So, it's funny how things work, but that's life."
Indeed.
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Preemptively finding a professional rehab assignment also seems like the right move for McCarthy at this stage. The obvious destination would be the Los Angeles Chargers . Head coach Jim Harbaugh loved McCarthy when they were at Michigan and couldn't say enough kind things about him prior to the 2024 draft. Finding a job where the big man adores you, the starting quarterback ( Justin Herbert ) can be instructive by example and the offensive coordinator (ex-Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel) is considered something of a savant in his own right could be the optimal QB halfway house for McCarthy. And it's not like Trey Lance , who just re-signed for the 2026 season, is exactly an established commodity as Herbert's backup given he suffered a quick career derailment like the one McCarthy seems headed for.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers greets J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings after the game at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
And if the Bolts aren't an option, it's not like there aren't other good locales for McCarthy to potentially rebuild his confidence and polish his game – Buffalo, Green Bay, Jacksonville , Pittsburgh − assuming Aaron Rodgers re-signs − or the LA Rams might all be promising spots to battle for the backup job, learn from an established starter and get topflight positional coaching. Look what it did for Darnold. Or Baker Mayfield , whose brief hitch with Sean McVay and the Rams in 2022 helped get his flagging career back on track. Mayfield and Darnold are not only cautionary tales, but part of a growing proof of concept within the league that first-round passers prematurely perceived as failures can be revived to ultimate effect rather than canceled.
With so much out of McCarthy's control in Minnesota, taking matters into his own hands career-wise seems like the next-best move. After all, not only does NFL stand for "not for long," it's also "not a fair league" − especially to young quarterbacks in this day and age.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carson Wentz's return to Vikings make J.J. McCarthy's next move clear
