J.J. McCarthy's Vikings Future Addressed by Kevin O'Connell After Kyler Murray Named QB1

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell officially named Kyler Murray the starting quarterback on Tuesday, a decision long expected after the team signed him in free agency.

That doesn't mean that JJ McCarthy's days in Minnesota are numbered.

"Yeah, absolutely," O'Connell told reporters when asked if he believes McCarthy has a future in Minnesota. "To me, he's still a guy who's only played 10 games. He's shown improvement off of last year, even in this training camp with the work that he's put in and his comfort level just growing a little bit. Still excited to get to work with him every single day, coach him. As he knows, he's holding the pen on his story, and we're going to support him and try to just help him contnue to improve as a young player at the most difficult position in sports. And he's got to understand this isn't just a long-term mindset, which we want to have always for a player of his caliber and a young player like him. But it could be an immediate response needed. JJ's the kind of guy that will be ready to rock and roll, I know that."

Of course, McCarthy had his chance to seize the gig last season and didn't deliver, throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing just 57.6 percent of his passes. The Vikings were 6-4 in his starts, however.

Murray is only on a one-year deal, so McCarthy may have another shot to earning the starting gig in a year. For now, however, he's simply a high-profile backup.