On Wednesday, the Minnesota Vikings made their quarterback decision, naming Kyler Murray the starting quarterback over J.J. McCarthy. While it was undoubtedly a disappointing decision for McCarthy, he had quite a classy response.
In the aftermath of the decision, McCarthy spoke to reporters, where he expressed his disappointment at the news but reaffirmed his commitment to the team and expressed confidence in himself going forward.
‘Ready when my number’s called’
Following the disappointing decision, McCarthy had a classy and mature response, admitting that he can only control the things within his control, and this decision was out of his control.
“Decision was made that was out of my control, and obviously, every competitor wants to play,” McCarthy said. “But moving forward, it’s just about continuing to work hard and just staying ready for when my number’s called.”
Even though McCarthy will not be the team’s starting quarterback this season, he firmly believes that he is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the league and has the talent to be an NFL starting quarterback.
“Yes, I believe so,” McCarthy said via Pro Football Talk. “And I’m always gonna have that confidence in myself, no matter what. But at this time it’s doing whatever I can for the team, and, you know, being ready when my number’s called. And that’s all that matters, that’s all I can control.”
While McCarthy was “obviously disappointed” about the decision, he knows that the best thing he can do is simply move on.
“But at the end of the day, you know, it’s in the past, and I’m moving on to the next practice, the next rep, the same mindset I had going into it, and focusing on the Giants this week,” McCarthy said.
‘This is a place I want to be’
While it would be normal for McCarthy to want to seek another opportunity elsewhere, especially considering that he believes he is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the league, it sounds like McCarthy is more than happy to be in Minnesota, even if he isn’t the starter.
“Like I said before, you know, this is a place I want to be, and I love every single person in this building,” he said. “I love this state. I love the fan base, and I’m gonna continue to just do whatever I can for this team, this organization.”
While the starting quarterback decision has already been made, it sounds like McCarthy is still excited to show what he can do during this week’s preseason game against the New York Giants.
“Extremely excited,” he said. “It’s always a blessing to be able to go out and go to battle with your teammates, with your brothers, against somebody else. And I’m really excited to see what this group looks like. All ninety guys were really happy and proud of the work we put in, so we’re ready to put it on display.”
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