‘Kyler Murray is not a bridge QB’ — Minnesota Vikings expected pursuit could be revealing Kevin O’Connell’s plan

This could be the end of J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 1, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) passes against the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings are going to be pursuing a quarterback this offseason, and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals is likely their top option. They won’t be able to pursue Murray until the first day of the league year, as the Cardinals will have to wait to release him due to league rules.

There are three different types of quarterbacks they can add:

  1. Full-time starter
  2. Legitimate competition
  3. Capable backup if McCarthy gets hurt

Pursuit of Kyler Murray could mean the end for J.J. McCarthy

If they pursue Murray, it’s the first one, and that could say everything about the future of J.J. McCarthy. Louis Riddick on ESPN’s Get Up believes this is head coach Kevin O’Connell saying that McCarthy’s future is over. Why? Murray isn’t a bridge quarterback.

“Kyler Murray is not a bridge quarterback,” Reddick said. “That’s not why you’re signing him. You’re not signing him to mentor a young quarterback that you already have in your quarterback room. You’re not signing him because he’s plus 30 years old and or you feel as though he’s near the end of his career. I think we can all objectively say this is a guy who still has a ton of runway left in his career, provided he can stay healthy. So that’s number two. Number three, I just don’t think that Kyler’s makeup is one where he is a good backup. He’s not a kind of guy who could play for a little while. Then you take him off the field and you have a young quarterback on your football team who winds up assuming the reins, and he sits back, and just kind of says, I’m fine with that role. That’s not him. That’s not him at all. So for him to go to Minnesota, what Kevin O’Connell is telling you is that JJ McCarthy’s days, really in Minnesota, to me, are over again.”

It feels weird that the Vikings would be out on McCarthy this quickly, especially after O’Connell’s quote “organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.” With that said, it’s the back part of that quote that doesn’t get enough discussion.

“I do believe there’s some times where things just don’t work out, and then getting a chance to kind of wipe the slate clean and get a restart, while still using your previous experiences to kind of shape you know how you’re going to work, why you’re going to work, why things are important to you, will only make guys better in the end, and I’ve seen some examples of that in our league as well over the last few years.”

He said that about Sam Darnold’s journey, but it raises questions about how it could impact McCarthy. Yes, the Vikings are a good organization and have a lot of pieces in place to make it easier for McCarthy to succeed. Despite it being a good organization, it could be that this is McCarthy’s New York Jets, where it just won’t work, and he needs to get a restart somewhere else. Getting Murray in the building is arguably a strong signal, as Riddick says.

We may not know the answer for the next couple of months, or possibly a year, but the signals are getting stronger.

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