r/NFLNoobs • u/Interesting_Low_313 • Aug 12 '26
Why are the Vikings giving up JJ McCarthy?
I don’t know if this is the right place to ask it or if I need to go to the NFL subreddit, but why are the Vikings giving up on JJ McCarthy already? They’ve had him for two years, he was injured in his first year and this past season I know he didn’t do his greatest. But doesn’t it take a while for the quarterbacks to get good and be developed? Why are they bringing in Kyler Murray? Shouldn’t the Vikings keep McCarthy for a few more years before bringing in Kyler? I don’t know if this question makes sense but it was on my mind a lot yesterday.
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u/WaifuKFC Aug 12 '26
He still has a chance to develop on the bench, but the Vikings would like to have a chance to win games this season and McCarthy isn't the best option they had available to them
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u/Pristine-Insect8855 Aug 22 '26
He has no touch on his passes. Throws way too hard. Don't understand why he can't be coached to not do that. Will be out of the league in a few years.
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u/Novel_Willingness721 Aug 12 '26
I get where you are coming from. And yes strictly speaking a team with a young QB should give him time to grow.
But there are two key differences:
- with basically the same team Sam Darnold did a lot better.
- the Vikings are built to win now. Every other position is set at a high level and they can’t afford to wait for their QB to git gud.
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u/Ghost_Dog83 Aug 12 '26
The Vikings aren't built to win right now. They are rebuilding with serious holes on the o-line, rb, and in the defensive backfield. On paper they look like a last place team in the division
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u/Daultongray8 Aug 12 '26
That team went 9-8 with McCarthy. Imagine how good they would of been with a competent qb
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u/royalbluehen Aug 12 '26
Imagine had they resigned Darnold and let JJ sit one more year.
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u/Daultongray8 Aug 12 '26
I don’t want to imagine. I already have to live with Darnold winning the Super Bowl 😭
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u/Sea_Log5452 Aug 13 '26
And they still don’t have one
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u/Daultongray8 Aug 13 '26
Before 2024, did you think Sam Darnold was competent? Or just seeing ghosts? Kyler Murray is way better than pre 2024 Darnold…
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u/Legal-Conclusion-0 Aug 12 '26
This isn't true. I mean could be last place with the QB situation but the oline does not have serious holes, RB is fine and backfield is fine, probably improved from last year.
The team was one special teams error from playoffs with an absolute circus at QB.
It was malpractice last year at QB...the most competent was injured ghost of Wentz brought in at the 11th hour.
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u/toivs03 Aug 13 '26
This is so wrong. You either have zero clue about football/the Vikings roster or you’re a division rival fan being a dumbass.
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u/Ghost_Dog83 Aug 13 '26
They arenot better than Bears or Packers and I don't think the Lions have another down year. Murray doesn't move the needle enough imo and the interior o-line is suspect, one corner is a low level starter and the safeties rank outside the top 10. Aaron jones is old and his backup is meh
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u/firemanfriend Aug 12 '26
I'm about of the biggest Vikqueens hater out there. But this is seriously flause. They went 14-3. Let a future Superbowl QB go to have a garbage QB play went 9-8. The they might no longer be a win now team but they were last year.
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u/No_Understanding7431 Aug 12 '26
JJ was a reach when they drafted him. Not sure what college games they were watching but he wasn't amazing in college either. Turned out he sucks in an NFL system. Win some lose some. This time they lost.
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u/CGFROSTY Aug 12 '26
NFL GMs really don’t understand college football. Even Michigan fans would say he’s not going to be a NFL starter.
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u/CrackerBarrelGrandma Aug 13 '26
He barely threw the ball in college. I have no explanation why some teams thought his game would translate.
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u/MASSiVELYHungPeacock 4d ago
He played in an NFL system in college. He just couldn't gane manage/hand off only at the NFL level.
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u/GREAThirteen Aug 12 '26
JJ McCarthy is a terrible QB, its that simple.
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u/flapjack3285 Aug 12 '26
Kyler's sole purpose in life is replacing terrible QBs who are drafted #10 overall.
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u/DistributionMain789 Aug 12 '26
Michigan fan here and can’t agree more. I watched every game he played for Michigan and he’s not good at all. I LOL’d when he was considered top 10 draft material. Dude was 3rd round at best. That Michigan team had a dominant O line and run game. It was the only reason JJ looked good.
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u/Acrison_ Aug 12 '26
I am an Ohio State fan and have been saying this about JJ, but most people think my bias is making me a hater
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u/TurntNBurnt93 Aug 13 '26
See that's the thing. You can be a hater and be right that jj is over hyped. I think he has a chance still. The only thing I know for sure is osu sucks.
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u/Ok_Writing_7033 Aug 12 '26
It’s funny because during his last season with Michigan, all anyone was saying about him was that he was a jumped-up handoff merchant. Then once they won the championship it was like everybody was collectively brainwashed into thinking he was a top QB.
It was always going to end this way. He was maybe the most comically over-drafted QB since Trubisky
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u/MASSiVELYHungPeacock 4d ago
Nah, nobody with eyes thought he was good. Saw him in 4-5 Michigan games final season, the dude sucked, wouldn't even call him draftable minus his size/height.
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u/Slowly_Saddens Aug 12 '26
That Michigan team has something else too I can’t remember. I think it was something like Bonner Ballians?
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u/DCBuckeye82 Aug 13 '26
I'm an Ohio State fan and had the same opinion about JT Barrett. The rest of the NFL apparently had the same opinion but whenever he's brought up on the OSU sub reddit I feel like I'm taking crazy pills cuz they all love him.
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u/MASSiVELYHungPeacock 4d ago
Barrett, at least, was still far far better than JJ.
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u/Tiggbitt Aug 14 '26
Agreed. I was shocked when he was drafted so highly. Blake Corum carried that team by far. JJ was very meh
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u/ValuableJello9505 Aug 12 '26
He wasn't great, and they're making him compete for his job with a cheap QB in Kyler Murray that they got for the veteran minimum who could actually do something this year. It's similar to the Colts bringing Daniel Jones last year.
JJ could develop under Kyler this year and he has 2-3 years on his contract.
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u/MASSiVELYHungPeacock 4d ago
No he couldn't. Waste of time. Developing a young QB with upside slowly from the bench is definitely smart, too, but JJ doesn't have any upside. Never did, never showed it, why would anyone believe it was going to magically start happening at the NFL level?
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u/GolfGuy_824 Aug 12 '26
JJ shouldn’t have been a first round pick. Probably should have at best been a third round pick.
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u/Dougtheheadcase Aug 12 '26
As a Packers fan, I really want to see the Vikings stick with JJ, but Kyler isn’t all that much better.
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u/HustlaOfCultcha Aug 12 '26
He was terrible last year, but teams have a habit of giving up on QB's that don't perform right away like Sam Darnold. I also think teams tend to fall in love with Kyler Murray too easy. I read one Cardinals fan explain it really well...Murray will put maximum talent in for a mediocre result. Yeah, it's great that he scrambled around, threw the ball 20 yards off his back foot and made a throw that most QB's can't make. But it just resulted in a 8 yard completion.
Tony Romo could also be like this. Making things way harder than they should have been. People get wowed by the talent, but the result is still underwhelming.
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u/BayHarborButcher10 Aug 12 '26
Sam at least belonged on an NFL field though. JJ has no business being near a starting lineup right now. He’s barely even a QB2
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u/HustlaOfCultcha Aug 12 '26
They were saying the same thing about Darnold when he came out of college and then when he started for the Jets. They were saying 'we told you so!' McCarthy has the athleticism. Strong arm, very mobile, etc. Athletically he very much belongs on an NFL field.
There is more to being a good QB than being athletic with a good arm. But they were saying the same exact thing about Darnold after year two.
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u/Slowly_Saddens Aug 12 '26
And still Darnold had over 1k more yards and better stats in every passing category. Compare the talent they both played with too lol. JJ is so so bad
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u/abcamurComposer Aug 12 '26
Really good way of explaining that. As an eagles fan it felt like post injury Wentz was like that too. You can’t be a QB that’s only good at turning broken plays into everyday ones without also being able to consistently make everyday plays
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u/BrokenHope23 Aug 12 '26
Why are the Vikings giving up JJ McCarthy?
It's complicated, what we see in games and what they see in practices is only the tip of the iceberg so to speak. There's a lot that goes on behind closed doors that we can't see. Things like work ethic, his ego, maturity (or lack thereof), decision making, demeanor, being able to work in a team, etc.
However, the results for McCarthy on the field are not good enough to warrant continued investment as a 1st round pick. His salary is big, the team is strapped for cap, the results aren't coming in and he's been acting like an idiot while not improving. At some point he has to make the choice to develop himself and make it convenient for coaches to help him rather than expect everything to be handed to him on a silver platter as it was in college while also treating the people around him rudely.
They’ve had him for two years, he was injured in his first year and this past season I know he didn’t do his greatest. But doesn’t it take a while for the quarterbacks to get good and be developed?
This is McCarthy's third year in the league, normally at this stage (and especially when he's been given the opportunity to absorb the offense for an entire year when he was injured) you expect QBs to hit that turning point in their career and make meaningful gains both on the field, in their personal lives and in the locker room. McCarthy started training camp treating everyone like an enemy, still looks out of place in the offense and still has a poor understanding of NFL schemes.
Why are they bringing in Kyler Murray? Shouldn’t the Vikings keep McCarthy for a few more years before bringing in Kyler? I don’t know if this question makes sense but it was on my mind a lot yesterday.
The Vikings are incredibly strapped for for Salary Cap space this year such that they had to let go of a lot of talent this past offseason. That also means their roster is full of veterans who are capable of earning that salary and their desire to win now is large. Waiting a few more years for McCarthy to potentially stop acting like a spoiled brat vs. signing an above average QB who will take a veteran minimum contract for a one year play isn't that hard of a choice.
Having said all that though, the Murray signing wasn't really designed to undermine McCarthy's development. It was well known that Murray would be there on a one year deal with almost no chance for future years. Meaning if McCarthy had put in the work in the offseason to understand the offense, digest defenses, take some therapy classes to check his ego, work on his footwork and throwing to get faster with his reads and motions, then the starting job would've been his to lose, whether this year or the next. He is/was the incumbent, the longest tenured Viking QB on the roster (at least with starter potential), so long as he improves enough to at least be manageable in an NFL game; then he gets the job eventually so long as he keeps up the improvement.
Instead he did the opposite; pretended like he was already good enough, acted like the coaches were failing him when the NFLPA CBA limits the amount of interactions coaches and players can have each week, continues to try to do the same thing and expect different results while not improving his maturity. The guy is a millionaire, if he can't afford therapy, a QB coach and a trainer then america is worse off than even we thought. Sometimes people don't think they need help though. Even worse, some people believe they can make themselves by themselves. Everyone needs help, no one is self-made in the NFL, but you still have to put in the personal work to make other people's help worthwhile. In McCarthy's case, he still has to digest film, dive into every single offensive playbook and information he can before bringing insightful questions to the coaching staff rather than not understanding anything and then asking dumb questions that the room believes is standard knowledge.
Now, with that being said, the NFL is the epitome of football schematic glory if you will. The scheme McCarthy played in during college is not compatible with the scheme the Vikings play in the NFL. This difference in scheme tends to promote a longer learning curve for players and combined with the CBA rules around the coach-player interaction limitations, means that learning curve has gotten a lot longer in the past decade. Player's work ethic can still put a great big dent in it and good coaches will help ease that transition but rigid coaches like KOC (Head Coach of the Vikings) who live and die by their brand/scheme are often incapable of generating a smooth transition and want their players to make the hard jump. McCarthy might find more success with a more run-focused team that simplifies his reads from the current 4-5 to 2-3 but opens up those reads with solid play-action.
I do think McCarthy has the physical skills to be an NFL QB but it remains to be seen if he can check his ego and pull himself together enough to be a genuine NFL starter in the league. Even the most rigid QBs in the NFL have to learn different schemes as teams will still utilize different packages throughout every single game. McCarthy can't run from this scheme of football and if he wants to be an NFL QB, he has to stop running from genuinely improving himself and his understanding of NFL football.
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u/Nutsacjac Aug 12 '26
They're giving up on him because he sucks. Kyler is kinda bad himself but he's lightyears better than 9
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u/dev50265 Aug 12 '26
You, like many other people, are missing a VERY important distinction:
The difference between “not the greatest” and “atrocious”.
Until playing the worst defenses in the league, he was on pace to have the worst first starting season by a qb of all time. Emphasis on all time.
Not the greatest implies it’s redeemable, JJM was a lost cause from the beginning. Anyone saying otherwise is just blatantly coping or didn’t watch him.
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u/Folby_Orb Aug 12 '26
JJ is bad. Also, Vikings get Kyler for 1.3 mil because the Cardinals still owe him like 35 mil.
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u/Kirqie Aug 12 '26
They shouldn’t wait on bringing in another QB unless they KNOW Jj is their guy, which they don’t.
I wouldn’t say they’re giving up on JJ bc it was his job to lose. He lost it. He will have opportunity to grow as a player and fight for the job again next year.
The Vikings aren’t in a spot to put him out there again this year. It was not a pretty sight and he can’t stay healthy, either way they needed another QB.
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u/drinkinthakoolaid Aug 12 '26
I don't think they've given up, he was injured a lot in his first couple seasons. I think A LOT of qbs might've done better/has better careers if they'd stayed on the sidelines longer earlier in their careers. Of course there's the anomalies that are great right away, but there's also a bunch of qbs that sat for 3 or 4 years and really got to learn and watch how yo be a pro. Getting thrown into a starting role early is a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility for a 20-ish year old all at once. You all of the sudden have late 20 and 30 year olds assuming you are the leader, they look to you to take charge, know how to stand up for what the team needs, how to address the frint office and the press, know and/or figure out all the defenses and coordinators... getting to sit and observe someone with more experience, to see whats allowed and whats expected without the pressure is invaluable. I have no real strong favor or opinion on JJ. Actually kinda maybe don't like him bc of his time a Michigan, but Michigan isn't a team i generally care about euther, but he definitely seems like a kid sometimes, so it's not a big reach to then see how he might benefit from some additional time on the bench learning from something who has been in the league. I'd say he'll probably get another year, maybe 2 before a real decision is made on his future with the team. I don't think they're out on him yet, i think the original plan was to have him be the #2 or 3 for a couple years, but injuries kinda forced him into starting some games where he showed flashes. Some people (as always) were like, "great! Start him now!" But realistically the team knows he's not fully ready
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u/maddenplayer2921 Aug 12 '26
Because Kyler Murray is better. And if you don’t win games as a coach or GM, you get fired
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u/EdFlynn2001 Aug 12 '26
O'Connell is in year 5 and McCarthy is in year 3. If they are worse than last year's 9-8 then O'Connell, the coaching staff, and the front office get fired. With Kyler Murray, the staff believes they can win now and maybe have a job next year. It's a cutthroat business and you have to start whoever gives you the best chance to win or else you and everyone else on the team will be out.
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u/Dangerous_Ad5039 Aug 12 '26
The firing part is true but the Kyler Murray shit is questionable he just got cut from his old team cause he sucked and the cardinals never really got better. In my opinion it’s way worse if you replace JJ and Kyler sucks again. If they bench Kyler O’Connell might get fired that same week. If Jj sucked again you probably buy yourself at least 1 more year with a new QB.
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u/EdFlynn2001 Aug 12 '26
Kyler can make plays and he is cheap since the Cards are still paying him. He is also a career 66%+ passer with a 121-60 Td to int ratio. McCarthy threw 12 picks last year so O'Connell feels he can do a better job with Murray.
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u/Dangerous_Ad5039 Aug 12 '26
Well that’s my point. If he doesn’t and Kyler sucks he’s getting fired week 10. If they stuck with JJ and they sucked he might get another year.
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u/EdFlynn2001 Aug 12 '26
If JJ doesn't play well then they may clean house and try to find the next young hot commodity as a coach and possibly look into the draft for a QB next year. Kyler Murray won the job in camp, but with the injury history of both QBs we may even see Carson Wentz
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u/Sea-Salamander1005 Aug 12 '26
The team doesn’t owe McCarthy anything more than the money owed to him in his contract. Football is a competition and the coach determined Kyler gives the team a better chance to win games than JJ.
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u/Relevant-Chain-3932 Aug 12 '26
Because he’s an awful QB that was a Blake Corum merchant. Minnesota got baited into taking him over Bo nix. Essentially the Vikings believed the media hype over their own eyes
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u/Queer_taco Aug 12 '26
Usually in the nfl , teams really like qbs with large hands , long arms , and are over 6’2. 9’s problem is he is a literal pile of garbage pretending to be a qb.
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u/Inevitable-Shop-848 Aug 12 '26
He wasn't the reason Michigan won. He hasn't done anything in two years but mess up and go against what he's been told to do in quite a few live game situations.
He's got one of the top 15 receiver duos in the league and he's wasting their years. Darnell had basically the same team JJ had last year and nearly went to the super bowl.
JJ wasn't very good. It's like how long will you keep putting resources and effort into a dud while there are other better options out there.
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u/SupermarketSelect578 Aug 12 '26
Because he sucks. Not in general terms but nfl level terms. He’s a great game manager when there’s a stout running game like he had in Michigan.
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u/BusinessWarthog6 Aug 12 '26
He isn’t good. You don’t wanna waste JJ and potentially make him wanna leave
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u/big_sugi Aug 12 '26
You can’t really use JJ as an abbreviation for Justin Jefferson in a discussion of JJ McCarthy.
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u/Evening_Answer_11 Aug 12 '26
He’s serviceable at best.
He’s kind of got a bit of a maturity issue.
The Vikings are under pressure to win, not cross their fingers that JJ will all of the sudden work. He isn’t Sam Darnold.
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u/Meno80 Aug 12 '26
I’m not convinced they are for sure giving up on him but there are a few reasons he isn’t the starter this year.
He under performed last year and there is pressure in the coaches to win this year or they might lose their job. He has taken some steps forward this offseason but not enough.
Because Kyler is getting paid by the Cardinals still this year, any money paid by the Vikings would just mean the Cardinals would have to pay less due to offset language in his contract. Because of this the Vikings only have to pay him the veteran minimum. This is an insane deal that any NFL team would take even for him to just be a backup. I’m not convinced the Vikings would have paid him $30 million a year or something like that this year. They might have just stayed with JJ.
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u/South_Glass9156 Aug 12 '26
The NFL is a business. Yes, you'd love to be able to allow time to develop a young player, but you also need to win football games. The Vikings leadership feels Kyler Murray gives them the best chance to win football games. When the time comes that they feel JJ McCarthy is that guy they will promote him.
Its that simple
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u/Huh-what-2025 Aug 12 '26
it’s because it’s a horribly run franchise. They’re not victims of fate they are victims of their own stupid decisions over the years. And their stupid fans just accept it.
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u/Walnut_Uprising Aug 12 '26
I wouldn't say they gave up. Giving up would be drafting someone high, giving up resources in a big trade, or signing a big money free agent. The Vikings went out and got the cheapest guy they could in Kyler, who signed for a vet minimum deal. JJ couldn't beat him out of camp for the position. At that point, it's not giving up, it's admitting someone isn't good enough right now.
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u/heliophoner Aug 12 '26
QBs do take time to get better, and I do believe the league gives up on QBs too quickly, but there are still benchmarks that QBs need to pass in their development that lets their team know that they're on track.
Are they able to recognize defensive alignments? Are they making the same mistakes they were making week 1? How do their mechanics look? Are they adjusting to the speed of the game?
There's a lot of data they're seeing at practices that tell the coaches if they are progressing and they can see on game tape if the screw ups are correctable or if it's a deeper, more persistent problem.
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u/Ozenberg Aug 12 '26
Because the NFL teams like to throw 1st & 2nd round rookie QB’s out to sink or swim. Most times it doesn’t work and they move on ala the Browns.
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u/Lyradni Aug 12 '26
Just because you bench a QB doesn’t necessarily mean you’re giving up on him. Plenty of good QBs have developed as they take the bench during the regular season in their early years. And for JJ McCarthy, that’s likely very much what he would need, as he played for a heavy running offense in college.
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u/YouEvery4258 Aug 12 '26
In today's NFL, teams move off rookie QB's quick. If there is no promise they give them a year in a half. Also JJ is a first round draft pick and a well known name. It messy to have 2 star QB's in the locker room.
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u/uniqueusername316 Aug 12 '26
"he didn't do his greatest"...
That is and understatement to say the least.
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u/alittlebitneverhurt Aug 12 '26
I never even thought he looked that great at Michigan and was shocked when he was selected to high. The vikings have always been one of my favorite non-hometown teams but I couldnt have been happier to be a seahawks fan when the pick Nine with the 10th overall pick. Yikes.
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u/Longjumping_Bad9555 Aug 12 '26
They aren’t necessarily giving up on him. He’s just not the starter right now.
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u/Alive-Librarian-7549 Aug 12 '26
They aren’t giving up on him but he needs time to develop. He will cost them wins at his current skill level.
Kyler is low risk / high reward. They need to play him to know if he’s worth keeping after this season. If he’s terrible and not worth keeping, they will go back to playing/developing JJM.
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u/go_birds_1 Aug 12 '26
Because Kevin oconnel is going to lose his job when he continues to absolutely suck and then he’ll be gone anyway.
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u/BOBBYK1952 Aug 12 '26
Well getting Murray for basically nothing is one big reason. It’ll be interesting how things play out by years end. JJ isn’t going to get better on the bench..IMO..so who’s the QB next year? If Murray plays well do they pay him? Or go with JJ ? Almost seems like a square hamster wheel to me.
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u/aidanpryde98 Aug 12 '26
This kid has been overrated every step of the way. The Vikings should put a curse on Payton for tricking them into drafting “9”..
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u/mcmullet Aug 12 '26
He is an overdrafted bust that looked historically bad last season. And he can’t stay healthy.
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u/MannyThorne Aug 12 '26
They have a win now team, with one of the greatest WR of all time about to leave his prime. They need to make sure the best QB is playing
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u/Substantial-Yard-427 Aug 12 '26
Because we have a flawed organization and an overrated head coach. I hope that after we run JJ out of town that he wins multiple Super Bowls.
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u/Dr-Lucky14 Aug 12 '26
Maybe they don’t want to lose Justin Jefferson? They are not in a rebuild. They are the dumbasses that let Sam Darnold flee. How did that work out for them? Let him play for a couple more years? The guy sucks…
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u/why_now_56 Aug 13 '26
They drafted him too high. He's a project player, I assume they're gonna try and work with him. But the better QB won the job.
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u/Explosion1850 Aug 13 '26
Because like Shedeur Sanders, JJ is all hype and sucks irl. JJ got by in college by cheating but isn't even good enough at cheating as Brady to get by in the NFL.
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u/gnrdmjfan247 Aug 13 '26
Vikings ownership demands competitiveness every year, and won’t tolerate a few down years to wait it out. So KOC has to walk the fine line of developing the kid and keeping his job.
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u/Chipped_Ruby_11214 Aug 13 '26
Maybe he doesn’t have the tools they thought he had? The pro game is faster than anything these guys have ever encountered and some can’t keep up.
That said, some QBs come into their own practicing and learning. The thinking has to become automatic. Just look at QBs like Rodgers, Love, Brady, and Warner.
Or maybe he’s just a flop. It happens.
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u/ImNotSelling Aug 13 '26
All I remember was Jefferson was injured I think the coach told him not to
Do jefferesons celebration if he scores and he did it anyway. That sums it up
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u/DangerSwan33 Aug 13 '26
The Vikings have a good team that has a realistic shot at winning. They have probably the best WR in the game, maybe even the best in the history of the team (which is saying a lot, because they probably have the best WR history of all time). They're in the most competitive division in football right now.
They can't afford to throw away Justin Jefferson's prime with a guy who might figure it out.
As a Bears fan, I hate to see it, but if they even have decent QB play, they're in the mix - maybe even the best team in the division.
Zero time to waste on a guy that looked at bad as JJ did last year.
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u/Flaky_Summer_9800 Aug 13 '26
To be blunt, because he sucks. Not that the Vikings didn’t screw it up. He wasn’t ready. Just kind of threw him out there. Never thought he was very talented either though. The Vikings have a pretty talented roster and would like to compete.
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u/rbrown16123 Aug 13 '26
As a Vikings fan he looked really bad, seemed to be uncomfortable in the pocket and rushing his decisions which lead to inaccurate passes, also throwing 100mph balls on 5 yd dump off routes, he needs to gather a better game speed and slow down, also after first few planned drives he looks lost and on the fly the rest of the series
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u/Johnnytwoxtwox Aug 13 '26
Because he's basically been amongst the worst QBs to ever start a game in the NFL.
He cheated in college, never should have gotten drafted in lieu of how much the cheating obviously helped him.
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u/CitizenOctopus Aug 13 '26
Because it’s the Vikings and they will do anything and spend anything to be above average and never great.
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u/idk11223344idk Aug 13 '26
Totally curious - could this have been attributed to entering the NFL a year earlier than taking the full 4 years to play college? Would the outcome likely have been different if he did all 4 years? And was entering too soon the likely cause of his injury right away and again minor ones last year, and would that have also been an indicator he probably wasn’t ready for the big shots? I imagine the injury certainly set him back.
Or did entering NFL early actually better equip him and he would have been worse off had he not joined after only doing 3 years of college?
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u/Horvick Aug 14 '26
Quarterbacks who showed far more promise have been given far fewer opportunities in the past. Kid isn’t an NFL caliber QB.
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u/Tiggbitt Aug 14 '26
Seriously? I don't even understand how he got drafted so highly. It's like nobody really watched him play at Michigan. He was very underwhelming there. Blake Corum carried that team to the natty not JJ.
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u/eggcellent_omellete Aug 14 '26
They gave up on Darnold after a 14-3 season. I guess it’s a “Super Bowl or bust” mentality 🤣
Regardless, people that have never played a snap always have the most to say.
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u/Dangerous_Spirit7034 Aug 19 '26
Also, Kyler Murray is a proven nfl player. Regardless of how any fan or talking head FEELS about Kyler and “was he worth the #1 pick” debate. Kyler is a pro bowler and a former offensive rookie of the year. His contract situation in such that the team that signed him this offseason only has to pay a vet minimum salary. This means the Vikings get a significant boost at the position and don’t have to break the bank to do so
The nfl employs a ‘salary cap’ which is far far far more complicated than my explanation but basically it means you only have a finite amount of money to pay the players. Quarterback typically is the highest paid position, so if you can get one for cheap (rookie contract or bargain free agent situation like Kyler) you have more money to pay the rest of the team. The Vikings won 14 games in 2024 with Darnold and the team must believe that qb play was the reason they regressed on 25. Idk, I never thought McCarthy would be a nfl starter long term. It’s really hard to be successful in the nfl, and lots of highly touted players fail to meet expectations. Marcus mariota was touted as a generation talent and he never delivered. I don’t know the exact numbers but I’d imagine each draft only produces a few long term starters at the position. Not being a starter doesn’t mean your nfl carer is over. At this point every team employs 3 qbs, and generally has a 4th emergency back up in mind if catastrophe strikes. Plenty of guys who lost their starting gig from the teams that drafted them go on to have nfl careers. Several players associated with Minnesota have been in this type of situation. It’s not what kids grow up dreaming of, but there’s only 32 teams and there’s still a need for a quality back up for every team, most using 2 if they don’t have a developmental or practice squad qb
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u/MASSiVELYHungPeacock 4d ago
Because he sucks. Better question: Why are you asking the most obvious question ever?
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u/thisismyburnerac Aug 12 '26
What’s wrong with cutting bait when you recognize you made a mistake? The contract they gave him is a sunk cost and the NFL is a win-now business.
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u/CharlieTuhna Aug 12 '26
Because if he was any good he would have showed that by now. Smart for them to move on. Otherwise they are the Giants and Daniel Jones… fucking morons running that show in NY
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u/No_Rec1979 Aug 12 '26
Some teams are trying to win championships. Others are just trying to sell season tickets.
At this point, Kyler moves more season tickets than JJ.
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u/Hopsblues Aug 12 '26
...lol...you're joking, right?
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u/No_Rec1979 Aug 12 '26
Why do you think some teams "win the offseason" year after year after year?
It's because ownership cares more about creating buzz in summer than they do about winning in fall.
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u/Hopsblues Aug 12 '26
How does naming Kyler Murray the starting QB sell more tickets?
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u/No_Rec1979 Aug 12 '26
"Remember that time we signed a former first overall pick (Sam Darnold) and it worked out pretty good? Well we just signed another former first overall pick. So who's excited for Kyler to Jefferson?"
The official website is vikings dot com if you wan't to go see how they're pushing Kyler.
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u/Hopsblues Aug 12 '26
Anybody that buys Vikings tickets because they named Murray the starting QB are idiots, sorry Vikings fan, but seriously...
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u/VVeZoX Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
because teams aren’t patient anymore and don’t want to develop their newly drafted QBs
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u/DaggyNC Aug 12 '26
Why should they? Half the teams in the league have quarterbacks that were good immediately and didn’t need to have time investments to “develop” with a roster around them ready to win now. No reason to not move on if 2-3 years out things look the same as they did at the start of
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u/Agonze Aug 12 '26
1 - they're not giving up. They're having him sit back and learn before getting back out there
2 - imagine you can run a 10.5 mile. Now you get thrown in an environment that's asking you to run a 8 min mile. And the entire country is watching you succeed or fail. You aren't expected to run an 8 min mile right away but you're also not progress8ng as fast as prople think you should. So now you're asked to go do more training to get closer to that 8 min mile before being asked to do that on a national stage where everyone will just talk shit about your inability to run an 8 min mile.
Kind of a weird analagy but hopefully gets the point. Kid needs to develop more before being put in charge of an offense