When the Minnesota Vikings signed veteran quarterback Kyler Murray, it was reported that he would compete for the starting job with J.J. McCarthy. However, very few people believe it will actually be a competition. Instead, the common thought is that Murray became the starter once he put pen to paper, and that McCarthy’s NFL future is up in the air.
One of McCarthy’s former teammates isn’t rolling with that narrative, though. Veteran wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who just left the Vikings in free agency for the Las Vegas Raiders, recently appeared on the "Up & Adams" show and had positive things to say about his former quarterback.
Host Kay Adams asked Nailor if McCarthy is the guy, and the wideout explained that the young quarterback definitely has the potential to be.
"[McCarthy] can be the guy for sure. I just feel like it’s a matter of him just still getting those reps in game and just building on what he did this past year. Just try to have a clean healthy season; if he has a clean healthy season, I think he’ll be fine. He has all the things."
Former Minnesota Vikings WR Jalen Nailor thinks J.J. McCarthy can create a real QB competition with Kyler Murray
Nailor is coming off a career year in Minnesota, catching 29 passes for 444 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, and he had a pretty good connection on the field with McCarthy.
He saw the young quarterback go to work every day, and he saw enough to remain a believer that he could eventually put it all together.
McCarthy is officially on the clock, though, now that he has competition in Kyler Murray. That’s why Adams followed up and asked Nailor if the competition is good for him. The receiver emphasized that McCarthy will absolutely embrace the battle and that it should be a competitive one.
"[McCarthy] is the ultimate competitor in my eyes… It’s gonna be a battle, I can tell you that. It’s gonna be a great QB battle. I don’t know who’s gonna come out on top. I’m probably rocking with my guy J.J., but you never know.
It’s going to bring the best out of both of them just to have that chip on their shoulder to go out and perform like your life depends on it."
Nailor, of course, made it clear that he’ll be pulling for his guy J.J. McCarthy. However, since he moved on to the Raiders, he can only wait and watch it unfold like everyone else.