Analyst delivers brutal Vikings truth for J.J. McCarthy after free agency signing

Most knew that the clock was ticking on J.J. McCarthy's time with the Minnesota Vikings before free agency began.

And with the signing of Kyler Murray, that clock has accelerated.

Coming to the NFC franchise looking to battle McCarthy for the starting role, we know who will likely end up winning it, right?

And it is because of that many think J.J.'s time in Minnesota is up, just two years into his career. 

For CBS Sports' Jared Dubin, he's said out loud what everyone is thinking about the quarterback position in Minnesota.

"The Vikings are pretty clearly done with the J.J. McCarthy experiment, no matter what they say now about holding a competition between McCarthy and Murray this offseason," Dubin wrote. "You don't go get a guy like this if you're expecting McCarthy to be a factor under center. And it's hard to blame Minnesota after what happened with McCarthy during his first go-round as the starter last year."

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McCarthy's Vikings future on thin ice

I don't subscribe to the idea that if Murray beats out McCarthy, he's done as a starter in the league.

But you can make the case he's done in Minnesota if Kyler beats him. And that isn't the end of the world. 

Some might see it as reacting a little too hastily after just one season where McCarthy started 10 games, as we are in a win-now environment in the NFL, but McCarthy, if he does move on, will land on his feet somewhere else.

But Dubin is right. The Vikings haven't signed Murray to be the backup quarterback. They've signed him to start.

And that likely means bad news for McCarthy in 2026.

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