Jason La Canfora: J.J. McCarthy ‘Unlikely to Stay With The Vikings’ This Season

Kyler Murray’s path to the Vikings’ starting job felt inevitable from the moment Minnesota secured the first free-agent meeting with the former Pro Bowler in March.

Barring injury, league sources indicated at the time, head coach Kevin O’Connell, the driving force in signing the former first-overall pick, was going to throw himself into tailoring his offense to the smaller and more mobile quarterback prototype than he was used to, and that’s precisely what occurred.

Recent former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy was never going to be able to muster sufficient competition, and this “position battle” was effectively over once Murray got in the building.

“This was all O’Connell – he was all-in on Kyler,” said an agent who represented another top free-agent quarterback and had a firm feel on the market.

McCarthy quickly fell out of favor in Minnesota, playing at a warp-speed tempo, often out of control, and unable to improve his decision making and learn to put more touch on his throws.

He didn’t handle his staccato development well and could be moody, according to team sources, and failed to develop on-field chemistry with the club’s highly-paid playmakers.

“It just wasn’t a good fit,” said one team source. “It was pretty bad behind the scenes.”

It was a well-known secret around the league that the Vikings would bring in someone not to compete with McCarthy, but whom they thought would give them a better chance to win. After so much time lost to injury already, it would be surprising if McCarthy was long for Minnesota.

“They knew they couldn’t bring him back as the starter and keep that locker room together,” one GM told me this offseason. “I don’t think he’ll be there through the season.”

The possible landing spots for McCarthy

Given how little Murray just signed for as a failed former first-overall pick on a big-money deal, and Tua Tagovailoa did the same in Atlanta after getting huge money in Miami, Minnesota might want to see if injuries develop and determine a value for McCarthy down the road. Surely, he’d like out ASAP.

He won a national title at Michigan with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh; the Chargers have a very athletic back-up in Trey Lance.

Another GM suggested the Giants, coached by Harbaugh’s brother John (“I could see that,” the GM said), noting Jaxson Dart’s deep injury, the Giants being young and in a rebuild and current backup Jameis Winston offering no upside.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is one of the biggest Michigan boosters on the planet and watched the QB take that program to new heights, it’s worth noting.

Another personnel executive threw out the Eagles as a team to maybe buy-low on him too; it’s widely known Eagles starter Jalen Hurts is on the clock.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman was doing extensive work on Brendan Sorsby about of his potential inclusion in the supplemental draft, and they always collect developmental QBs.