Some reportedly 'think' Vikings' J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray situation could end this way

Minnesota Vikings quarterback and 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy recently suggested that he would not ask to be traded if he ultimately loses the competition for the team's starting job to free-agency signing Kyler Murray later this summer. 

For a piece published on Sunday, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk revealed that certain members of the football community believe McCarthy could experience a change of heart before the 2026 season gets underway.

Will J.J. McCarthy cause problems for the Vikings if they name Kyler Murray their QB1?

According to Florio, "some think" that McCarthy will "want to be traded" if Murray gets the nod for Minnesota's regular-season opener versus the rival Green Bay Packers on Sept. 13. 

"Some think the Vikings will want to trade [McCarthy]," Florio continued, "especially if there’s a concern he’ll be bitter and salty and complaining to teammates that he deserves to play." 

McCarthy has been the subject of numerous trade rumors ever since the Vikings signed Murray to a team-friendly contract back in March. Meanwhile, a report from late May claimed that McCarthy "had some issues with his maturity and demeanor behind the scenes...which went into an obvious plan to upgrade on him if possible this offseason."

One problem with that plan is that Murray may not prove to be much of an upgrade. Neither he nor McCarthy reportedly "performed drastically better than the other" during springtime workouts. Florio noted that "the public accounts of the team’s mandatory minicamp created the impression that McCarthy is making strides and Murray is struggling." 

Vikings may have a unique reason for wanting to trade J.J. McCarthy this summer

Florio thinks there's a scenario where Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell may simply want to get McCarthy out of the team's quarterback room before September begins. 

"McCarthy has said he wants to be in Minnesota," Florio added. "What a guy says during the competition could be very different from what he’ll say after he loses it. Especially if he feels like he didn’t get a fair shake. It becomes a problem if other players share his viewpoint. If McCarthy is performing better in training camp practices but Murray gets the job, the locker room could murmur and rumble and ultimately revolt. Removing McCarthy from the equation could be in the best interests of getting everyone behind Murray."

Both signal-callers should get plenty of reps during Minnesota's preseason opener at the New York Giants on Aug. 15. As of the middle of June, it's anybody's guess how O'Connell will handle the quarterback competition following that contest.