Fallout From Vikings’ QB Decision

“Obviously, every competitor wants to play,” he noted (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN). “But moving forward, it’s just about continuing to work hard and just staying ready for when my number’s called.”

McCarthy added that he wants to stay in Minnesota, though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that the third-year signal-caller “likely wants out.” A trade may not come together this summer, but Florio suggests it could be something to watch for if a team loses its starter to injury before the Nov. 10 deadline. Of course, considering Murray’s injury history over his final few years in Arizona, the Vikings may have to turn back to McCarthy out of necessity at some point.

Murray played well over a full season in 2024, but that came after the two-time Pro Bowler missed a combined 18 games in the preceding three seasons. He also sat out 12 games with a foot injury last year. The Cardinals moved on from the 2019 No. 1 pick in March and took on a whopping $54MM in dead money.

Shortly after the 29-year-old Murray’s release became official, the Vikings emerged as the frontrunners to sign him. The Vikes flew Murray in for a visit and convinced the 5-foot-10, 207-pounder to ink a deal for the veteran minimum ($1.3MM) before he could talk with other teams.

O’Connell drove the Murray signing, per Jason La Canfora of casino.org, who reports the coach wanted a smaller QB with more mobility to run his offense. The fact that O’Connell was behind the move is hardly a shock, as the Vikings were without a full-time general manager at the time. They fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the GM who moved up a spot in 2024 to draft McCarthy 10th overall, in late January. The gamble blew up in Adofo-Mensah’s face.

A year after winning a national championship at Michigan, McCarthy sat out his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus. Sam Darnold, then a journeyman, broke out in McCarthy’s absence during a 14-win season for the Vikings. However, Darnold and the team flopped in a 27-9 wild-card loss to the Rams. The Vikings then lost Darnold (to the Seahawks) and backup Daniel Jones (to the Colts) in free agency.

While Darnold quarterbacked a Super Bowl-winning Seattle team and Jones was terrific before a December Achilles tear, McCarthy held a nine-win Vikings team back. He was statistically one of the worst passers in the league over 10 starts. McCarthy also continued to prove unreliable from a health standpoint. Three more injuries – a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his right hand – led to seven absences. While struggling with performance and injuries, McCarthy has been “moody” in Minnesota, according to La Canfora.

“It just wasn’t a good fit,” a team source informed La Canfora. “It was pretty bad behind the scenes.”

That makes it sound as if the Vikings have all but washed their hands of McCarthy, which may be the case. As you would expect, though, O’Connell has publicly left the door open for McCarthy to stick with the organization.

“As he knows, he’s holding the pen on his story,” O’Connell said (via Alec Lewis of The Athletic) “We’re going to support him and try to help him continue to improve as a young player at the most difficult position in sports.”

Despite those comments, the Vikings trading McCarthy “can’t be ruled out,” Kevin Seifert of ESPN writes. If they deal McCarthy, the Vikings would still have a capable backup QB on their roster in the well-traveled Carson Wentz. Before Wentz had season-ending shoulder surgery last October, he did passable work filling in for an injured McCarthy over five starts. The Vikings then brought back Wentz, 33, on a one-year, $3MM contract with $2.65MM in guaranteed money.