We’re in silly season for the NFL, where a passing remark by a reporter about J.J. McCarthy becomes news.
A few days after Jason La Canfora reported that McCarthy was unhappy in Minnesota, Tom Pelissero suggested on KFAN’s Power Trip Morning Show that the Vikings could trade McCarthy if he loses Minnesota’s quarterback competition to Kyler Murray.
Again, I would imagine you’re going to start to see the reps perhaps change a little bit here over these next couple of weeks as they hone in on what their plan is going to be going into training camp.
And I’m not saying this. I don’t know what direction they’re going to go as you get closer to the season, but let’s say Kyler wins the job, which I would lean toward Kyler is the starting quarterback. Do you have J.J. as the backup? Do you potentially look to trade him while there’s still some intrigue within the league?
You might be able to get more for him with two years left on his rookie contract than with one year left. Those are all things that I would think you’re going to talk through.
Naturally, people will hear Pelissero say that and think that Minnesota is willing to trade McCarthy.
Before joining the NFL Network, Pelissero worked as a local reporter at AM-1500 in the Twin Cities. He still has ties in the organization, to the extent that he confidently said before organized team activities (OTAs) that the Vikings were hosting a true quarterback competition between Murray and McCarthy to see who would start the season.
Kevin O’Connell has had Murray and McCarthy split OTA reps with the “1s,” or the players most likely to start for the Vikings next year. It’s the clearest evidence that the Vikings are giving McCarthy a genuine opportunity to win the starting job.
However, the competition feels manufactured, and Pelissero suggested on KFAN they’ll give Murray more first-team reps. McCarthy, 23, wasn’t ready to start last season, and piled up injuries while showing he’s still early on the learning curve. Meanwhile, Murray, 28, is a former first-overall pick, two-time Pro Bowler, and in the middle of his prime.
Murray is an imperfect quarterback, which is why the Arizona Cardinals cut him with over $30 million left on his contract. He’s 5’10”, probably plays video games while he should be studying film, and also has an injury history. Still, he has seven years of starting experience and throws a great deep ball. Naturally, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the starting job.
McCarthy appears perturbed that the Vikings brought in Murray a year after they cleared the way for him to start. Minnesota infamously didn’t franchise tag Sam Darnold after he reinvented himself two years ago. Therefore, McCarthy’s only camp competition was Sam Howell, whom they traded in August before signing Carson Wentz as McCarthy’s backup.
However, McCarthy looked out of sorts early last season before suffering a high ankle sprain that kept him out until Week 9. Wentz, 33, moved the ball in his absence, throwing for six touchdowns and 1,216 yards. However, he also threw five interceptions, including two in losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles that proved costly.
The issue with Wentz isn’t that he couldn’t run the offense. It’s that he too often appeared to be trying to rediscover the Carson Wentz whom the Eagles took second-overall in 2016. He made risky throws, occasionally underestimated his speed, and still refuses to slide.
As a result, Wentz suffered through that agonizing Los Angeles Chargers game before getting season-ending shoulder surgery. He’s a capable veteran backup, but one who throws costly interceptions and takes unnecessary risks with his body.
Suppose Murray wins the quarterback competition. The Vikings are still better off with Wentz and McCarthy behind him. They can focus on McCarthy’s development behind the scenes as a contingency plan if Murray, whom they cannot franchise tag, leaves in free agency.
In that scenario, if Murray suffers an injury and McCarthy is still developing, they can start Wentz. If McCarthy is ready to start, they can still use Wentz as the backup. Having Wentz and McCarthy gives them a buffer between Murray and Max Brosmer, a developmental quarterback who wasn’t ready to start last year.
Unless McCarthy becomes disruptive, the only reason to trade him is if O’Connell prefers another developmental quarterback. Perhaps he sees more upside in Anthony Richardson, or another presumed starter falls out of favor with his team and becomes available. However, unless they trade McCarthy for another developmental quarterback, the Vikings are better off entering the season with three viable starters, flaws and all.
