Vikings Rumors Spinning around Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy’s Future, the Josh Metellus Assessment

Right after the NFL trade deadline, when Murray wasn’t moved, Bleacher Report pushed his short-term outlook in Arizona back into the spotlight.

Kristopher Knox wrote, “Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was not one of the big names traded at Tuesday’s deadline. However, his future in Arizona is questionable at absolute best. The Cardinals announced that Jacoby Brissett would get another start early in the week, which could easily lead some to believe that head coach Jonathan Gannon prefers the veteran pocket passer to Murray.”

“Of course, that’s not the only reason why Murray’s name surfaced at the trade deadline or why it’ll come up again in the offseason. Murray has never delivered a playoff win, and he was the product of a previous regime. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cardinals and Murray are expected to have ‘extensive discussions’ to determine what’s next—with a split being likely.”

Knox also stated that Murray’s separation from the Cardinals appears imminent. There’s a real possibility Murray is available in February or March.

J.J. McCarthy’s six starts have produced highs and lows, with the highs showing up in short bursts and usually late in games. It’s an odd pattern.

Whether at some point in December or in the offseason, Minnesota has to determine if McCarthy — now nearing the end of his contract’s second year — has shown enough progress to stay locked in as the unquestioned QB1 beyond 2025.

If that call were made on November 30th, the answer would be no. And with that, the Vikings would be staring at the need for a QB1 alternative.

Rumor: J.J. McCarthy may not be the starting quarterback for Minnesota in 2026.

Each week, ESPN rolls out an overreaction column meant to validate or dismiss concerns about teams or players. This time, Dan Graziano tackled the McCarthy discussion.

He explained, “The Vikings will have a new starting quarterback in 2026. Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. If nothing else, the Vikings will want to bring in a veteran quarterback to add to their young QB room. Think about what the Colts did this offseason, signing Daniel Jones (who, ironically, finished last season with the Vikings) to compete with Anthony Richardson Sr. for the starting job.”

“Jones beat out Richardson, and the Colts are a first-place team. Bringing in a veteran doesn’t guarantee a similar result, and it’s possible that McCarthy could make enough advancements this offseason that he would win a competition against an outside veteran.”

Rumor: Josh Metellus thinks McCarthy is …. playing great.

As fans and analysts have spent weeks dissecting McCarthy’s rough six-start stretch, Josh Metellus went the opposite direction and praised him openly.

“I ain’t going to lie, I think No. 9 is playing great,” Metellus told reporters. “When you don’t play as a full team, and we don’t give each other a chance to win, quarterbacks get the blame. Just like DBs get the blame when some run pops off, we miss a tackle, and it goes for a long gain.”

“It’s never just one guy. In terms of his ability to grow and develop, we’re talking about a guy who’s had six starts? I think he’s playing really well. I know he’s going to keep getting better. I know the kind of guy he is. Shout out to J.J. for being able to step in and just keep going and ignore the noise.”

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