Just two years ago, the Minnesota Vikings traded up to No. 10 to get Michigan star JJ McCarthy. Now, they might be ready to pull the plug on that failed experiment.
With the Arizona Cardinals set to release Kyler Murray, the Vikings are the odds-on favorites to make a run at the former No. 1 pick. He’ll get his full salary from the Cardinals, so he’s eligible to sign a veteran’s minimum deal in Minnesota.
That might signal the undeniable end of the JJ McCarthy era in the Twin Cities. At least, that’s how former NFL player Louis Riddick feels, given that Murray would have to take first-team reps that would otherwise be crucial to McCarthy’s development:
“It’s over. It’s over for JJ [McCarthy]. (If) They sign him, it’s over. You bring Kyler Murray in there, right? It’s a new system for him; he has to take reps. You have to see him take snaps with the starters in order to have enough intel,” Riddick said on ESPN.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has a reputation as a quarterback whisperer. Murray might save his career with a strong season with the Vikings, and there would be no way they wouldn’t give him a long-term deal after watching how things went down with Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold:
“And given what happened with them before with Sam [Darnold], if he winds up winninig the job and he winds up playing well, they’re not just gonna let him go then,” Riddick continued. “I know [Minnesota] moved up to 10 to pick him, it’s going to be time to move on from him.”
McCarthy is still quite young, and he’d certainly be an interesting reclamation project for several teams. That said, it’s hard to envision him beating Murray for the QB1 job in training camp, so he may have already played his last snap in Minnesota.
