The Minnesota Vikings had already named Kyler Murray as their Week 1 starter even before the NFL’s deadline for teams to trim their roster to 53 players. This development is another hurdle to third-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s career.
While McCarthy had an opportunity to compete for the starting role, a two-time Pro Bowler with height and injury concerns still edged him out. With McCarthy’s progress seemingly stalled, a Pro Football Hall of Famer urged the Vikings to see the obvious.
Shannon Sharpe Wants the Vikings to Release J.J. McCarthy
During the August 30 episode of the “Nightcap” podcast, three-time Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe suggested that the Vikings part ways with J.J. McCarthy because the fit isn’t right.
“It’s not working out. I would rather, and I’ve always been this way, if you and I were not working out, I’d rather you go somewhere and be happy than stay here and be both miserable. You know we miserable. Go on and be happy. It’s okay,” Sharpe shared with fellow former NFL player Chad Johnson and former NBA player Joe Johnson.
Signing Murray indicated that the Vikings were not sold on McCarthy’s capability, even if they selected him 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Minnesota even traded up by one spot with the New York Jets to make him the fifth quarterback selected in the first round, two spots before the Denver Broncos picked Bo Nix. The Vikings have given him opportunities to show his talent, but these efforts have not produced results.
In addition to missing what would have been his rookie season due to a torn right knee, McCarthy also missed several games in his second season due to a high ankle sprain. When he took the snaps for the Vikings, there were more misses than hits.
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While the former Michigan standout had a 6-4 record as a starter, he threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11) and completed only 57.6% of his passes. According to PFN’s QB Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 67.0, ranking fifth-worst in the league.
Furthermore, McCarthy threw multiple interceptions in four games and had only two games without a pick. His numbers are much worse than those of Sam Darnold, who set his career highs in completions, passing yards, and touchdowns while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record.
Sharpe Wants the Vikings to Declare a Lapse in Judgment with McCarthy
The Vikings are starting over in their search for a franchise quarterback. They hoped that McCarthy would fill the role, but the experiment failed. Although he did not meet expectations, McCarthy is one of the 53 players on the Vikings’ Week 1 roster for the 2026 NFL season.
As for Sharpe, he would rather have McCarthy playing elsewhere. To him, there’s no reason for Minnesota to hold on to McCarthy. Sharpe would even want the Vikings’ front office to admit that selecting McCarthy was a mistake.
“The biggest mistake that a lot of teams, not just in pro sports but a lot of times, make is (they) won’t admit I made a mistake,” Sharpe said. “It’s okay. People make mistakes; you choose the wrong spouse, you choose the wrong girlfriend, and you choose the wrong job.”
“They choose the wrong employee. It happens,” Sharpe added. “But you exacerbate the situation when you refuse to admit that you made said mistake, and you stay in it. You know, after a while, they don’t mean you no good. You don’t mean them any good, and you still won’t let it go.”
