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In his head, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy “knows” he’s the future of the franchise. On the field, however, that couldn’t apparently be further from the truth.
According to reports out of Minnesota Vikings OTA’s, J.J. McCarthy has been a distant second to newly acquired Pro Bowl signal caller Kyler Murray, who they signed to a one-year contract earlier in the offseason.
McCarthy made headlines with his aloof comments about the competition between the pair, comparing them to two students sitting on opposite ends of a classroom.
“Look, the organization made a decision that they feel like is going to improve the depth and the quality of the room. They feel like they made that decision. But all I’m thinking about is continuing the upward trajectory that I set for myself last season, that last quarter of the season, and continue to be the best version of me every single day,” McCarthy said.
“It’s just like two guys in a classroom,” he added. “He sits on one side, I sit on the other side, and it’s the coaches’ responsibility to teach us and coach us. It’s just like the same feeling when you’re in high school, and there’s another person on the other side of the room, that’s just kind of how it is. So I wouldn’t say there’s any awkwardness.”
Despite being ripped for his dismissive attitude, McCarthy doubled down on his sentiment in a later presser.
“We’re competing for a job. I’m not going to pretend that I’m happy about it, and I felt like I proved that I was an elite QB last season. I know I’m the future of this organization,” McCarthy said.
Minnesota Vikings beat writer says that Kyler Murray is beating J.J. McCarthy in the early stages of the duo’s starting quarterback competition
It’s unclear where McCarthy is getting the idea that he displayed elite QB play last season, as he started in just 10 games and had a 57.6% completion percentage, 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Making matters worse for McCarthy is that ESPN’s Minnesota Vikings beat reporter Kevin Seifert noted that the early competition between the two quarterbacks hasn’t been “close,” with McCarthy being the distant second.
“Drama (real/imagined) aside, the reality of the Vikings’ QB competition was clear to anyone watching OTAs this week. J.J. McCarthy could continue on what he called his ‘upward trajectory’ and still fall well short of matching Kyler Murray,” Seifert wrote on social media.
“You can only have a genuine competition if there is actual uncertainty about who the best quarterback on the roster is. With the caveat that this was one day in May, with no pads and some drills performed at half speed, it is only fair to point out that the gap between the two quarterbacks was not close,” his report stated, adding that “Murray made all of the best throws of the practice, demonstrating his downfield touch and accuracy.”
Whomever wins the Vikings’ starting QB job will lead the team out for their season opener at home against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, September 13 at 4:25 p.m. EST.