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Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings brought in Kyler Murray to compete for the starting job with incumbent hopeful J.J. McCarthy. Of course, McCarthy is about the furthest thing from a guaranteed bet after struggling to stay healthy or develop to this point in his career.
Vikings QB Room Needs Extreme Clarity before Week 1
When organized team activities kicked off this week, McCarthy and Murray gave very different media interviews. Murray has been around the block and understands how to deal with external politics. McCarthy has not had that experience and has previously shown himself to be aloof.
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Jan 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) moves out to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half in the NFC Wild Card playoff football game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
After comments about a level of “awkwardness” and a classroom separation between the pair, it seems clear that keeping McCarthy and Murray together all season may not be wise.
Murray was brought in to compete, as he is an outsider looking to establish himself with a new team. A veteran with 87 career starts, though, the Vikings quarterback job is his to lose. He’d need to be hurt, perform poorly, and have McCarthy show significant growth. If all of those things happen, then yes, the former 10th overall pick should be under center in Week 1.
The problem is that it seems McCarthy is probably not ready to take the next step, and he certainly has shown as much from a social awareness perspective. Maybe we can give his first real comments a pass, since they’re just an early part of the process, but it’s hard not to think this will linger.
If this is McCarthy’s viewpoint now, at the onset of a competition, expectations for how things will evolve after he loses the role can’t be promising. McCarthy is unlikely to back up Murray as the QB2 with Carson Wentz in tow, and at that point, it may be better to ship him out rather than stash him as a QB3 with no foreseeable future in Minnesota.
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Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy speaks during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK.
Unfortunately, this is the reality the Minnesota Vikings are facing. This isn’t the desired outcome when using a high pick on a young player at the most important position in sports. To double down and let things linger could be far more damaging, however.
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