J.J. McCarthy lost the battle to be the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback next season to Kyler Murray. The two-time Pro Bowler signed a veteran minimum contract with the Vikings after the Arizona Cardinals released him in March after seven seasons, and now will start for them in Week 1.
Adam Schefter Gets Called Out for Defending J.J. McCarthy
In a lengthy post on X on Tuesday, ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter rationalized McCarthy losing the QB1 battle to Murray.
“J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury and started just ten games last year, with Minnesota winning six of them. Now the still only 23-year-old will be forced to be a backup,” Schefter posted.
Many analysts and fans on social media took issue with Schefter’s wording in the post, as it seemed like he was defending the third-year quarterback.
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CBS Sports NFL analyst JP Acosta blasted Schefter for spinning McCarthy’s position in Minnesota. “I’m sorry this is one of the nastiest spins I’ve ever seen,” he wrote on X.
I’m sorry this is one of the nastiest spins I’ve ever seen https://t.co/DidjbYuOZo
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) August 11, 2026
Schefter graduated from the University of Michigan, the same university with which McCarthy won a national championship. As a result, many, like Acosta, believed the NFL insider was showing support for McCarthy after the latter lost the quarterback battle.
After being selected No. 10 overall by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and missed his entire rookie season. He then clinched the QB1 job in 2025 when Sam Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
The former Michigan star struggled with injuries, including a high ankle sprain, a concussion, and a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, causing him to miss seven games.
McCarthy earned the league’s fifth-lowest PFN QB Impact score of 67.0 after tallying 1,632 passing yards on 57.6% completion, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, adding 181 rushing yards and 4 scores for the Vikings last season.
He led the Vikings to a 6-4 record as a starter, as coach Kevin O’Connell’s team missed the playoffs.
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Chris Simms Reveals McCarthy’s Dressing Room Disconnect
During Wednesday’s segment of the “Pro Football Talk” podcast, former NFL QB Chris Simms revealed that the Vikings’ dressing room does not believe in McCarthy’s ability to win games.
“The team, from everything I’ve heard, what you look at from a 1000 feet above, there’s questions about J.J. McCarthy,” Simms said. “Can he be the guy? Yeah, we saw moments. But I don’t think the locker room believes in him. We don’t think the fanbase totally believes in him.
“It was kind of a no-win situation. This is the best way for the Vikings right now, and Kyler Murray, of course. But it’s the best thing for J.J. McCarthy. It is.”
Simms continued and added, “J.J. McCarthy’s only way back to being the QB for the Minnesota Vikings is going to have to happen organically. Of Kyler Murray’s hurt, Kyler Murray doesn’t play, we have to play you, and now you’ve showed us and took control and showed us the guy we thought you could be.”
McCarthy will be Murray’s backup next season, followed by Carson Wentz, who played when the former 23-year-old quarterback got injured last year.
