Who Should I Start? Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy

Monday, December 1, 6:48 PM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said on Monday that surgery isn't currently on the table for quarterback Kyler Murray (foot), according to Tyler Drake of Arizona Sports. "To my knowledge, not right now. That's as honest as I can answer it. I have not heard that. No," Gannon said. Murray is eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve, but the Cardinals will not open his 21-day practice window this week because he's simply not ready to return to practice following his foot sprain back in the Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The 28-year-old will not return this week when the team faces the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, and it remains to be seen if he'll be in play for Week 15 versus the Houston Texans. The Cardinals have been non-committal on whether Murray will even take the starting QB job back from Jacoby Brissett, who has led a much more explosive offensive attack with Murray sidelined.

Wednesday, December 3, 7:15 PM

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (concussion) was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, putting him on track to return on Sunday against the Washington Commanders in Week 14, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. McCarthy still needs final clearance from an independent neurologist to be cleared from the league's concussion protocol, but he's trending in the right direction after suffering a concussion in Week 12 and missing the Week 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. In his absence on Sunday, undrafted rookie QB Max Brosmer was a disaster, throwing four interceptions, including an ugly pick-six. The 22-year-old McCarthy has mostly struggled in 2025 after missing his entire rookie season, completing just 54.1% of his passes for 929 yards, six touchdowns, and 10 picks in six starts. If he returns on Sunday, McCarthy will be a volatile low-end QB2 option in superflex formats.