Louis Riddick: 'It's over' for JJ McCarthy in Minnesota if Kyler Murray signs with Vikings

NFL free agency officially got underway on Wednesday afternoon, and among the first moves was the Arizona Cardinals releasing QB Kyler Murray. The Minnesota Vikings have emerged as favorites to land his services — just two seasons after trading up in the first round to draft JJ McCarthy.

ESPN’s Louis Riddick cast a dark prediction on McCarthy’s future in Minnesota if Murray signs with the Vikings longterm. He believes the former Michigan star be looking for a new role elsewhere if the rumors pan out.

“It’s over for JJ, they sign (Murray),” Riddick said on ESPN Wednesday. “It’s over.”

"It's over. It's over for J.J. [McCarthy]. … I know [Minnesota] moved up to 10 to pick him, it's going to be time to move on from him."

—@LRiddickESPN on J.J. McCarthy if Kyler Murray signs with the Vikings 👀 pic.twitter.com/x0vKRJtFnB

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 11, 2026

McCarthy played 10 games during his first year as a starting quarterback in the NFL. During that span, he passed for 1,632 yards — 32nd in the NFL — to go with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He added four touchdowns and three fumbles to his season totals on the ground as well.

Many believed McCarthy to become the starter for the Vikings in 2024 as a rookie before losing his season to a preseason injury. Sam Darnold came in and led Minnesota to a 14-3 record. The Vikings let him go — and he went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks this past season.

“Given what happened to them before with Sam (Darnold), if (Murray) winds up winning the job, and he winds up playing well, they’re not going to just let him go,” Riddick said. “Then they’re going to wind up saying, look, we need to go ahead and figure this out now for the future, for how we can keep him longterm.

“You’re going to have a guy in JJ McCarthy who’s going to be running scout team, taking some reps; a guy who already needs to be, kind of shown the way by a veteran, who can kind of help him become a better pro and become a guy who really drills down on the details, matures from a emotional standpoint. That’s not Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray, don’t care about that, he’s not there for that. … It’s gonna be time to move on from (McCarthy). You sign Kyler Murray, I’m telling you, it’s over.”

For Murray, he’s a seven-year NFL veteran who has over 20,000 passing yards and 120 touchdowns. If the Vikings do get the deal done, a QB battle will ensue. However, at the end of the day Riddick expects Murray to lead Minnesota into the 2026 season.