Despite finishing the 2024 season with a strong 14-3 record, the Minnesota Vikings went 9-8 last year and missed the playoffs.
The team’s struggles are largely due to poor play by quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who, former wide receiver Cris Carter believes, will be benched in favor of Kyler Murray, which will get Justin Jefferson back on track.
Former WR Cris Carter Expects QB Kyler Murray to Get the Vikings Back on Track
In PFSN’s NFL Offensive Impact Metric for the 2025 season, the Vikings ranked 28th with an impact score of 66.0, which equates to a letter grade of D. A big reason for that is McCarthy’s struggles.
In PFSN’s NFL Quarterback Impact Metric, he ranked 37th among qualified QBs with an impact score of 64.5 and a letter grade of D. During the season, he completed 57.6% of passes for 1632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. As a rusher, he ran for 181 yards and four touchdowns.
Now, the Vikings have brought in former Arizona Cardinals QB Murray to compete for the starting job with McCarthy. Here’s what Carter had to say on the addition to the quarterback room:
“Kevin O’Connell has proven that with this offense, when he’s had a healthy QB, he’s been able to win 12, 13, 14 games during the regular season,” said Carter, via Heavy.com. “J.J. McCarthy, he’s still going to get an opportunity because most quarterbacks aren’t going to stay healthy for 17 games, so there will be an opportunity for him not only to learn and get better, but also to watch and learn from a guy like Kyler Murray… But I’d expect Kyler to be the starter this season.”
Due to injury, Murray played only five games before sitting out the rest of the season; however, he still qualified in PFSN’s QB Impact Metrics, where he posted an impact score of 75.3, earning a letter grade of C and ranking 21st. In seven years, he has an average impact score of 76.8.
Jefferson was impacted largely by McCarthy’s miscues, but Carter expects that to change with Murray presumably taking over the starting role. In the same interview, Carter said the following:
“Sometimes your career is in the hands of the people around you, and football is the ultimate team sport. Jefferson is doing great things on and off the field from a leadership standpoint, but you can believe that he’ll be right back at the top of the NFL with a veteran combination, with someone like Kyler. I’m sure they’ll spend some time together this offseason.”
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Last season, Jefferson caught 84 receptions for 1048 yards and two touchdowns, which is still impressive despite the poor quarterback play.
In PFSN’s NFL Wide Receiver Impact Metric, he ranked as the 32nd best receiver with an impact score of 77.5 and a letter grade of C+. Not including his 2025 season, Jefferson has an average impact score of 89.6 across 2020-2024.
In 2026, the team should be in better hands with Murray at quarterback. A positive for McCarthy is that he’ll have a veteran presence to help develop him and also provide good competition.
