Vikings Rumors Spinning around Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy’s Future, the Josh Metellus Assessment
The Minnesota Vikings’ rumor mill is running hotter than normal with the team sitting at a sad 4-7. Plenty of fans have already shifted focus to the 2026 offseason, pushing the speculation cycle into overdrive.
Vikings rumors this week now center on Kyler Murray buzz, J.J. McCarthy’s long-term outlook, and a fresh evaluation of Josh Metellus.
Minnesota still has six games left, however, and this weekend brings a road matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
Vikings Rumors | Sunday, November 30th, 2025
The second installment of the Purple Rumor Mill.
Rumor: Kyler Murray could be available for trade during the offseason, and the Vikings might need a quarterback.
Right after the NFL trade deadline, when Murray wasn’t moved, Bleacher Report pushed his short-term outlook in Arizona back into the spotlight.
Kristopher Knox wrote, “Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was not one of the big names traded at Tuesday’s deadline. However, his future in Arizona is questionable at absolute best. The Cardinals announced that Jacoby Brissett would get another start early in the week, which could easily lead some to believe that head coach Jonathan Gannon prefers the veteran pocket passer to Murray.”
“Of course, that’s not the only reason why Murray’s name surfaced at the trade deadline or why it’ll come up again in the offseason. Murray has never delivered a playoff win, and he was the product of a previous regime. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cardinals and Murray are expected to have ‘extensive discussions’ to determine what’s next—with a split being likely.”
Knox also stated that Murray’s separation from the Cardinals appears imminent. There’s a real possibility Murray is available in February or March.
J.J. McCarthy’s six starts have produced highs and lows, with the highs showing up in short bursts and usually late in games. It’s an odd pattern.
Whether at some point in December or in the offseason, Minnesota has to determine if McCarthy — now nearing the end of his contract’s second year — has shown enough progress to stay locked in as the unquestioned QB1 beyond 2025.
If that call were made on November 30th, the answer would be no. And with that, the Vikings would be staring at the need for a QB1 alternative.
Rumor: J.J. McCarthy may not be the starting quarterback for Minnesota in 2026.
Each week, ESPN rolls out an overreaction column meant to validate or dismiss concerns about teams or players. This time, Dan Graziano tackled the McCarthy discussion.
He explained, “The Vikings will have a new starting quarterback in 2026. Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. If nothing else, the Vikings will want to bring in a veteran quarterback to add to their young QB room. Think about what the Colts did this offseason, signing Daniel Jones (who, ironically, finished last season with the Vikings) to compete with Anthony Richardson Sr. for the starting job.”
“Jones beat out Richardson, and the Colts are a first-place team. Bringing in a veteran doesn’t guarantee a similar result, and it’s possible that McCarthy could make enough advancements this offseason that he would win a competition against an outside veteran.”
A quarterback addition in the 2026 offseason — whether free agency, trade, or the draft — now sits near inevitable. McCarthy hasn’t shown any real development across six starts, and his contract’s second year is almost complete.
Graziano added, “But unless the final six games of this season look a heck of a lot different from the first six games McCarthy has started, Minnesota is going to have to look at every potential option going into 2026. The Vikings can’t throw another season away while waiting for things to click for their 2024 first-round pick.”
“It’s hard to imagine McCarthy not getting a chance to finish out this season as the Vikings’ starter. The damage to their playoff hopes is done, and their only other QB option right now is undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who could be even more raw than McCarthy is.”
Fans have waited for McCarthy to take a step or show a clear shift in performance. It hasn’t surfaced.
“McCarthy clearly needs experience, and he’s not going to get it on the bench. He’s probably their guy for the remainder of the 2025 season unless he gets hurt again. But 2026 could be a different story,” Graziano concluded.
Rumor: Josh Metellus thinks McCarthy is …. playing great.
As fans and analysts have spent weeks dissecting McCarthy’s rough six-start stretch, Josh Metellus went the opposite direction and praised him openly.
“I ain’t going to lie, I think No. 9 is playing great,” Metellus told reporters. “When you don’t play as a full team, and we don’t give each other a chance to win, quarterbacks get the blame. Just like DBs get the blame when some run pops off, we miss a tackle, and it goes for a long gain.”
“It’s never just one guy. In terms of his ability to grow and develop, we’re talking about a guy who’s had six starts? I think he’s playing really well. I know he’s going to keep getting better. I know the kind of guy he is. Shout out to J.J. for being able to step in and just keep going and ignore the noise.”
The comments landed with some surprise, mainly because McCarthy’s performance hasn’t matched the description Metellus offered.
Metellus finished with, “I don’t know too much about what’s going on, but I know it’s not just a QB problem. It’s an all-11 problem. Whenever we’re all on the field, we all have to play as one.”
That’s one supportive teammate.
You must be logged in to post a comment.