NFL insider: Minnesota Vikings haven't 'given up on JJ McCarthy'

Kyler Murray is expected to be the Vikings quarterback in 2026. However, that doesn’t mean Minnesota is abandoning JJ McCarthy.

According to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings are holding out hope things may work out between them and McCarthy. Despite adding ready-made starter to the roster, Murray’s signing may not spell the end of McCarthy’s tenure in Minnesota.

“They told me that they’re not having given up on JJ McCarthy. They’re still hopeful there,” Fowler said during SportsCenter on Saturday.

“But, you know how this goes. Sometimes you start seeing other people. It’s probably going to be similar to what the Colts did last year. They get Daniel Jones when they had Anthony Richardson, they battled it out in camp, and the veteran won the job.”

That may not be a hopeful comparison for the former Michigan quarterback. Jones took the league by storm before tearing his Achilles down the stretch last season. Richardson played in two games last year and finished with two passes. Though, he suffered a fractured orbital bone in October that kept him on injured reserve until December.

For Murray, he arrives in Minnesota a bit more established than Jones did when he signed with Indianapolis last offseason. He’s a seven-year NFL veteran who has over 20,000 passing yards and 120 touchdowns on his resume.

“This is kind of manna from heaven for the Vikings,” Fowler said. “They get him on the cheap, league minimum $1 million a year because Arizona is paying him all that guaranteed money. He’s got Pro Bowl pedigree. They were looking for a veteran in the room to be established.”

If McCarthy is able to beat out Murray for the starting job during training camp, it wouldn’t be a very costly issue for the Vikings. Murray signed for the $1 million league minimum because the Arizona Cardinals owe him just over $35 million during the 2026 season.

Even if McCarthy does lose out on the starting job at first, if things go south with Murray — he’s only under contract for one season. McCarthy will be entering year three of his four-year rookie contract.

Still, he’s been injured for most of that time. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with an injury suffered in the preseason, and only managed to play in 10 games in 2026. Though, Murray only played five games last season after suffering a foot injury as well.