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Would anyone dare question Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s ability to evaluate and coach quarterbacks? He’s viewed as one of the best, if not the best QB whisperer in the NFL, which is why the team had no hesitations to move forward with J.J. McCarthy in 2025.
Meanwhile, O’Connell is likely one of the biggest reasons why, when Kyler Murray had a chance to pick any team in the league, he chose the one who wears purple and gold. Of course, Justin Jefferson’s presence surely didn’t hurt either. Still, the presuming assumption has been that the Vikings traded up to make McCarthy the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft because that was who O’Connell hand-selected as his future franchise QB. But that may not be true at all.
Related: 5 Bold NFL Predictions For 2026, Including Kyler Murray’s Special Season
Coach O’Connell Apparently Didn’t Handpick McCarthy
During the 2024 pre-draft process right through when the team selected McCarthy, the narrative was that the Michigan college football champion was the QB that O’Connell wanted all along. Apparently that’t not true.
Recently, Vikings legend Cris Carter appeared on the “Fully Loaded” podcast and revealed that his sources have revealed that it was actually fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah who made the decision to select McCarthy, not O’Connell.
While Adofo-Mensah had final say as the team’s roster-builder, the expectation was that he’d lean into O’Connell’s expertise when it came to picking the QB of the future. But apparently that’s not what happened inside the Vikings’ draft room, which may be why the GM was quickly removed after the 2025 season.
If true, it shows why the Vikings were so eager to find another GM a chance who would be more willing to work alongside O’Connell, and valuing the unique insights the former NFL QB can offer. The Vikings believe they found their guy in Nolan Teasley.
The question is, if McCarthy wasn’t the QB that O’Connell truly wanted, who was? Michael Penix Jr. (drafted eighth) and Bo Nix (drafted 12th) are two other quarterback who were selected within McCarthy’s range. It’s possible O’Connell was sweeter on them instead.
Even though he may not have been ‘his guy’ O’Connell has maintained a professional attitude, getting behind who he has been given to work with, and tried to make the most of it. But now he’ll get a chance to make the most of a former No. 1 overall pick in Murray too.
Oh, and this isn’t even the most interesting discussion Cris Carter has been apart of relating to the Vikings this month. Vikings fans might also be curious to learn what he had to say about why the 1998 season went wide left.
Related: ESPN Analytics Give Minnesota Vikings Minuscule Chance of Winning NFC North
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