Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy

Friday, June 5, 9:58 AM

Will Ragatz of Sports Illustrated writes that he saw enough eye-popping throws from new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray in offseason practices that "make it hard to imagine" J.J. McCarthy "having a realistic chance to win this competition." It's still only OTAs, but so far, Murray has looked sharper throwing the football than McCarthy. McCarthy still has plenty of zip on his passes and has shown signs of mechanical improvement from a year ago (his first as a full-time starter in the NFL), but Murray "looks like a veteran quarterback who can make all the throws." "His physical talent throwing the ball has been on display every day," head coach Kevin O'Connell said of Murray. "The ability to throw to all three levels, layer the ball, anticipation that veteran players bring to the position." McCarthy, who was the 10th overall pick in 2024 out of the University of Michigan, struggled mightily with accuracy and decision-making, and also struggled to stay healthy, completing 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 starts after missing his entire rookie season due to knee surgery. It's still early in McCarthy's career, but it's quickly looking like he's falling out of favor as Minnesota's QB of the future.