Revealed: Why JJ McCarthy Left Vikings Practice in Haste
There’s been a lot of chatter surrounding the Minnesota Vikings quarterback competition, of late, mostly surrounding its lopsided nature.
Coming out of another round of Offseason Team Activities this week, it is clearer than ever that this is Kyler Murray’s job to lose… and he seemingly has no plans of doing so. That has left all eyes on a young JJ McCarthy, who isn’t handled the microscope very well.
Then Friday morning, Alec Lewis (The Athletic) dropped a report that made the Vikings’ 2024 No. 10 overall draft pick appear distant and disgruntled at the team’s final OTA practice before minicamp, on Thursday.
More information revealed on JJ McCarthy’s hasty exit from Vikings practice
According to Lewis, not only was JJ McCarthy seen stretching and warming up away from the MN Vikings’ other quarterbacks yesterday, but he also jogged off toward the locker rooms at TCO Performance Center immediately after practice, while the other three quarterbacks lagged back together.
[Kevin O’Connell] knows the degree of difficulty of throws in his scheme, and he knows whether or not it matters that McCarthy stretches away from the other three quarterbacks before practices like Thursday’s, or that he jogged off the field Thursday before the other three, who stayed behind together.
Alec Lewis – The Athletic
Related: Vikings Make First Two Signings of Teasley Era
Lewis’ report led to widespread speculation that JJ McCarthy was emotionally disengaging himself from a quarterback competition he’s clearly losing. And who’s to blame those of us who were so quick to jump to conclusions?
After all, it was McCarthy’s camp — just as recently as last summer — that not-so-discreetly let the Vikings know their kid QB might throw a fit, if they signed a veteran starter to slot in above him on the depth chart (like Aaron Rodgers). Hell, we’ve seen reports this week that suggest he might be thinking trade right now.
And it’s McCarthy who has failed at just about every turn, when given an opportunity to show some sense of emotional maturity through his first couple years trying to lead the Minnesota Vikings locker room. That’s why reporters like Alec are watching his every move so closely.
JJ McCarthy was just late for golf…?
However, context is important, as Lewis tweeted out Friday evening, when he got word on why JJ ran off the field so fast after practice Thursday. Apparently, he wasn’t pouting, as some accused him (me). Instead, McCarthy and some of his teammates were just running late for a tee time.
Does sound like J.J. McCarthy had golf plans this weekend with a bunch of teammates and practice went long, hence the quick exit post practice. Context critical, always. https://t.co/twm4CSVIWE
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) June 5, 2026
Of course, while McCarthy may have a legitimate excuse for why he left practice with such haste Thursday, Lewis doesn’t shed light on why JJ was stretching away from other quarterbacks earlier that same day.
It’s possible we look back on Alec’s reporting earlier today as a misrepresentation of what was happening in the Minnesota Vikings QB room, at this time of flux — and months prior to the start of the regular season.
Related: KOC Addresses JJ McCarthy’s Comments on Vikings QB Room
However, it’s also possible we’ve only seen the start of a McCarthy vs Murray saga that eventually leads to the former’s exit. At the end of the day, only JJ has control of these media narrative he’s been getting tangled up in lately.
Nonetheless, I hope he hits ’em straight this weekend… because he has a pretty big week coming up, as the Minnesota Vikings will reconvene for the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
More About:Minnesota Vikings
