ESPN insider Adam Schefter is facing backlash this Tuesday for his report about the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback battle.
Schefter reported that Kyler Murray has been named Minnesota's starter for the 2026 season. The Pro Bowl quarterback was competing against former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy in camp. Apparently, the Vikings have seen enough to move forward with Murray at the top of the depth chart.
According to Schefter though, Minnesota is "forcing" McCarthy to be the backup for Week 1.
"J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury and started just ten games last year, with Minnesota winning six of them," Schefter wrote on X. "Now the still only 23-year-old will be forced to be a backup"
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Some NFL fans believe Schefter is protecting McCarthy's image because they both attended the University of Michigan. Others, however, are convinced Schefter is doing McCarthy's agent a favor with the wording of his tweet.
"Forced to be a backup just put the agent sponsored fries in the bag bro," one fan replied.
"What a spin zone. In tears at FORCED to be a backup," a second fan said.
"That's one way to twist this. Another way to look at it is he's really bad at football and as durable / tough as a sopping wet 10-ply toilet paper and the 'competition' was a farce to begin with," another person wrote.
The truth hurts for J.J. McCarthy.
Schefter mentioned that McCarthy went 6-4 as the starter last season, but failed to mention the young quarterback completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Murray, on the other hand, racked up 20,460 passing yards, 3,193 rushing yards and 153 total touchdowns during his run with the Arizona Cardinals.
From a production and experience standpoint, Murray has the clear edge over McCarthy.
