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By Matthew Davis
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Imagine being a top-10 draft pick and quarterback from the same school as Tom Brady, but you’re in danger of getting benched.
That’s the reality facing Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy at training camp this year. A former No. 10 pick in 2024 out of Michigan, McCarthy didn’t live up to expectations when he finally took the field in 2025, so the Vikings added quarterback Kyler Murray to push for the starting job.
“Studying the best and learning from the best, they’re always competing with themselves every day,” McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday at training camp. “There’s no ceiling they’re putting on themselves. It’s always a constant ‘look at myself in the mirror’ at the end of each day and ‘did I get better?’”
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McCarthy and Murray are splitting first team reps for the foreseeable future, just a year after McCarthy was the undisputed starter in what was considered a quarterback-proof offense. Instead of thriving with a bevy of talented skill players, McCarthy stumbled 1,632 yards passing for 11 touchdowns, but he also threw 12 interceptions and had a 72.6 rating.
He has spent the offseason working on his mechanics in his second offseason of actually being healthy. McCarthy missed the 2024 season due to a meniscus tear.
“Just focus on what you can control, how you can improve, and when you’re done with it, looking back and seeing where you’re at,” McCarthy said.
That said, McCarthy believes “100%” that the competition is a fair battle. He described positive conversations with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell going into camp.
“Conversations were great,” McCarthy said. “Just all about, you know, doing my job and doing it to the best of my ability.”
“Taking completions, taking what the defense has given me, making smart decisions, and at the end of the day, just doing my job. Very simple,” he added.
McCarthy has a few weeks to work toward the first big test when the Vikings open preseason action against the New York Giants on Aug. 15.
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