Imagine, if you will: Somewhere in a dark cemetery in rural Minnesota, Kevin O’Connell was shoveling dirt on top of a grave. Muttering something along the lines of “You guys know how I feel about J.J.,” O’Connell looked somber, staring at a headstone that read, “Here lies J.J. McCarthy.”
A small faction of fans that had crawled out of their parents’ basement looked on while firing off their 67th “Nine” meme of the day. O’Connell walked away and started heading back to Eagan to work with Kyler Murray – until a hand poked out of the grave.
J.J. McCarthy climbed out of the freshly turned soil, shooting into the sky and looking like something from an anime film. O’Connell’s expression turned to joy until his face (along with the social media warriors behind him) melted off. McCarthy had become “The Phoenix Quarterback,” but one who had accomplished the rare feat of doing it with the team that drafted him.
If McCarthy brings this fever dream to life, there will be no bright lights, fireballs, or special effects. It will be a quarterback who overcame a bad situation to have a long career with the Minnesota Vikings. But the recent addition of Murray feels like the beginning of the end, unless going back to the shadows is the best thing for him.
McCarthy’s 2025 season couldn’t have gone much worse. It wasn’t just that he struggled while dealing with a high ankle sprain and a hand injury. It was a bloodbath that involved finishing no higher than 35th among 36 quarterbacks in multiple categories, per Warren Sharp.
There were interceptions. McCarthy took sacks. Some overthrows had fans in the upper deck fearing for their life.
The worst part was that it all happened in front of everyone. Perhaps banking on Aaron Rodgers coming later in the summer, the NFL booked Minnesota into four “island” games in the first five weeks. Those are instances where there were no NFL games to watch other than the Vikings game. McCarthy’s first start on national television went well, but his second resulted in a high ankle sprain that flipped his season upside down.
When McCarthy returned, he led the Vikings to an upset win over the Detroit Lions, which was one of the top stories in the NFL. But if Vikings fans had a time machine, they’d advise McCarthy to head back to the hotel instead of the Ford Field visiting locker room, where the infamous “Nine” meme was born.
Since then, people have used that meme, like people who struggle in social situations, quoting from The Office. Quarterbacks, coaches, politicians, and even people on the wrong end of bad relationships have been “Nined,” and the meme is still running strong as the snow is melting in Minnesota.
The fun didn’t stop there. McCarthy hit The Griddy while scoring a touchdown on national television, drawing Kevin O’Connell’s ire. When he pulled himself out of a Week 18 game with a fractured hand, Ben Leber‘s head nearly exploded over “the theatrics” of the decision. O’Connell and interim general manager Rob Brzezinski gave the football equivalent of “It’s not you, it’s me” when speaking about McCarthy at the NFL Scouting Combine, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler described it as when an old partner starts dating other people.
This trail of events made Kyler Murray’s arrival last week predictable. A former No. 1-overall pick with the skillset a Madden player would love, Murray has the upside to take the job from McCarthy and never give it back. But he may not be the insurmountable foe some are making him out to be.
While Murray is talented, he can be mercurial. Some have already wondered if Murray can fit in O’Connell’s “Bombs Away No Matter What” offense. Although there were flashes of brilliance, the biggest issue was helping Murray do it consistently, which sounds like a nightmare for a detail-oriented coach like O’Connell.
Murray’s size also makes him prone to injury, missing time in four of the past five seasons. According to SI’s Albert Breer, last year’s Lisfranc injury that ended his season after five games also included “a blood-flow issue” with “a risk of a more significant Lisfranc injury.”
For all we know, Murray could go on to play 17 games this season and become Sam Darnold 2.0. But any of those could turn the attention to McCarthy, whose primary goal now is to work without the public watching.
It’s the situation O’Connell has been trying to create since the Vikings drafted McCarthy.
The Vikings signed Darnold to be the starter in McCarthy’s rookie season, but a torn meniscus kept him out for the season and prevented him from doing that. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis and Dianna Russini reported that the Vikings wanted to bring Daniel Jones back and even flirted with bringing in Aaron Rodgers this spring. However, Jones left for the Indianapolis Colts, and a mystery figure vetoed a sequel to the 2009 Brett Favre tour.
Last season was a result of that plan going haywire and throwing McCarthy out onto the field by necessity, but Murray is running cover this time around. Preseason games will be a McCarthy showcase, but he can then work on his shortcomings from last year without a nationally televised audience or millions of internet trolls watching.
I’m not saying that last season wasn’t McCarthy’s fault. But it could also set him up for long-term success. If Murray isn’t what the Vikings expect, there’s a good chance McCarthy’s second act as a starter could come at age-24, which is the same age that Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels made their first career starts in the NFL.
Even Jordan Love, who had his development mocked by Vikings fans at every turn, was 25 when he became a first-time starter for the Packers, giving credence to the idea that patience may be the best approach with a young quarterback.
While there are outliers, including Drake Maye, the NFL has already learned that lesson with Darnold hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Minnesota’s face last February. It’s an uphill climb, but taking a step back may be the best way for McCarthy to revive his young career — and he could have the rare opportunity to do it with the team that believed in him all along.
