How the mighty have fallen in Minnesota. The let Pro Bowl quarterback walk in free agency last year because of their faith in , the 10th overall pick in the 2024 in completion rate (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12) and passer rating (72.6) last season. That made McCarthy the only first-round pick quarterback since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to finish last in the NFL in completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio in his debut season, per CBS Sports Research.
However, this decision doesn't mean McCarthy won't see the field in 2026. Both Murray and Wentz are injury prone at the current stage of their respective careers. From 2022 to 2025, Murray missed 30 of his possible 68 games. Wentz hasn't played double-digit games in a season since 2022. The hope for the Vikings is that if McCarthy plays this season that he'll play well enough to be able to be flipped for a Day 3 draft pick. It's obvious O'Connell is done with him. Wednesday's announcement makes that notion abundantly clear.
