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Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy will be looking to edge Kyler Murray for the starting job once Week 1 comes around. Many expect that it will be Murray who emerges from this battle as the starting QB for Minnesota.

As a result, if that happens, the question will be what’s next for McCarthy? Will he be QB2 and wait his turn to see the field if Murray gets injured or struggles? That might be the likely scenario.

However, The Volume’s John Middlekauff floats the scenario that McCarthy might not be on the Vikings come Week 1.

Middlekauff cites the San Francisco 49ers moving on from Trey Lance and the Indianapolis Colts likely regretting not trading Anthony Richardson last year as examples of why Minnesota could move off from McCarthy if he loses the QB battle.

“I don’t think J.J. McCarthy is going to win the job,” Middlekauff said on a May 14 YouTube video on the “3 & Out With John Middlekauff” channel. “To me, the question is whether J.J. McCarthy will even be on the team in Week 1. In recent examples, Trey Lance wasn’t on the team. And if you’re going with Kyler Murray, do you really want J.J. in there?”

Do Vikings Want to Risk J.J. McCarthy Losing Value?

Moreover, Middlekauff doesn’t state that Murray and Wentz don’t have an ideal health record, which is why Minnesota could hold onto McCarthy. However, the Vikings also have to weigh whether they are okay with the player losing value and running the risk like the Colts did with Richardson.

“I expect Kyler Murray to be the starting quarterback, and I expect Carson Wentz to be the backup,” Middlekauff added. “The counter to that, and obviously J.J. falls under this umbrella as well, is that you just have a bunch of injured guys. At any moment, Kyler Murray can get injured. Carson Wentz has been injured for the majority of his career at this point.

“He was injured last year, and he was just getting the hell kicked out of him. So is that a risk you’re willing to take to get rid of one of your quarterbacks, even if you don’t think he’s good enough, just because it’s time to move on? It’s time to punt and get a little value while we can. By next year, he’s basically valueless.

“As you see with Anthony Richardson, if they could do that one over, it’s pretty clear that [Indianapolis Colts general manager] Chris Ballard would have traded him at the end of training camp last year.”

Insider Gives Blunt Statement to J.J. McCarthy

With OTAs and mandatory minicamp on the horizon for the Vikings, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shared his view on whether McCarthy will see the field this upcoming 2026 NFL season.

“The Vikings have a roster built to win right now, and this is not going to be a development year for J.J. McCarthy,” Breer said in the May 13 edition of the “Breer Report. “ “McCarthy will have to prove to the Vikings coaching staff that he gives them the best chance to win immediately.

“If Kyler Murray gives them the best chance to win right now, then Kyler Murray will be the quarterback. This is no longer about draft status. It is about who can help the team win now. If they can do that, then maybe they can build on something moving forward. Still, it does feel likely that McCarthy will see the field at some point this season.”