The J.J. McCarthy era may already be over with the Minnesota Vikings. He will, barring a shocking roster move, be part of the team in 2026 and 2027. But, barring a shocking leap forward into competence, he will not be the homegrown franchise quarterback for which the Vikings have been searching since Daunte Culpepper was winging deep ***** down the decidedly non-hallowed halls of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
That's because McCarthy, even before Minnesota's first preseason game of the season, has been demoted. There was no hemming and hawing when it came to specifics of competition. There's no "-or-" designation on the depth chart. Head coach Kevin O'Connell understood people paid enough attention to see Kyler Murray was taking the lion's share of snaps with the starting offense in practice. He understood the frustration that came with averaging nearly 11 wins per season without a single playoff victory under his belt.
Thus, he made the logical decision most people expected.
It's another brutal blow in a brief career filled with them for McCarthy. He missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a knee injury. In his stead, journeyman backup Sam Darnold went from "veteran mentor" to "stud quarterback" in a 14-win season. O'Connell opted to stick with the quarterback his front office drafted 10th overall in 2024. That was two slots ahead of Bo Nix, a different kind of flawed-but-intriguing passer who was arguably an ankle injury away from leading the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl last winter.
Waiting for Nix in the big game? That would have been Darnold, who went on to sign a modest three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks before leading them to a world championship.
#quarterback #barring
That's because McCarthy, even before Minnesota's first preseason game of the season, has been demoted. There was no hemming and hawing when it came to specifics of competition. There's no "-or-" designation on the depth chart. Head coach Kevin O'Connell understood people paid enough attention to see Kyler Murray was taking the lion's share of snaps with the starting offense in practice. He understood the frustration that came with averaging nearly 11 wins per season without a single playoff victory under his belt.
Thus, he made the logical decision most people expected.
It's another brutal blow in a brief career filled with them for McCarthy. He missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a knee injury. In his stead, journeyman backup Sam Darnold went from "veteran mentor" to "stud quarterback" in a 14-win season. O'Connell opted to stick with the quarterback his front office drafted 10th overall in 2024. That was two slots ahead of Bo Nix, a different kind of flawed-but-intriguing passer who was arguably an ankle injury away from leading the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl last winter.
Waiting for Nix in the big game? That would have been Darnold, who went on to sign a modest three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks before leading them to a world championship.
#quarterback #barring
4 hours ago
