Adam Schefter Credit: ESPN
By Sean Keeley on

The Minnesota Vikings entered this season with two options for their starting quarterback. They could ride with incumbent J.J. McCarthy, or they could hand the ball over to free-agent signing Kyler Murray.

After a brief training camp battle, the Vikings made their decision, annointing the former Arizona Cardinals signal-caller as their new QB1. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Schefter broke that news at 12:18 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and two minutes later he quoted it with further context. Now, one might expect an NFL insider to offer some insight into Minnesota’s decision-making, like Ian Rapoport was doing on The Pat McAfee Show. Instead, Schefter appeared to present context that might as well have come directly from McCarthy’s agents.

“J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury and started just ten games last year, with Minnesota winning six of them,” wrote Schefter. “Now the still only 23-year-old will be forced to be a backup.”

The NFL insider also did a follow-up post noting that Murray is on a one-year deal with Minnesota and could leave as a free agent after the season.

Schefter also appeared on NFL Live to discuss the decision and offered a rather glowing view of McCarthy’s future potential, despite the fact that he continues to fall short.

“As for J.J. McCarthy, he’s played 10 games in his career, essentially, in the NFL. He’s 23 years old. And you have to wonder if he’s going to be the next quarterback a la Baker Mayfield, a la Sam Darnold, a la Daniel Jones, that needs a change of scenery before he is allowed to thrive at the NFL level,” Schefter said. “He’s so young and still has so much NFL future. And, obviously, when the Vikings are going to Kyler Murray this early, it seems like it was almost predetermined, predestined to go that way because they’re betting on Kyler Murray’s upside. But J.J. McCarthy also has upside. He’s just not going to get the chance to show it early on here in Minnesota. And that will lead to questions about his future in Minnesota and how much longer he will be there.”

The framing couldn’t be clearer. J.J. McCarthy is the undeserving victim of this decision and deserves better.

Schefter was roundly mocked on social media over the framing. Though perhaps this is a case of “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” when it comes to Schefter, who has long been accused of shilling for agents and executives through his reporting.

There’s also the double whammy of the Michigan connection to consider. Schefter, a Michigan Man, faced similar criticism over the way he carried water for Sherrone Moore during the former Wolverine coach’s downfall last year. The ESPN insider also absolved Moore of any wrongdoing in Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal a year earlier.

Again, it’s nothing new for Schefter to obliterate the line between journalist and PR shill, and ESPN seems to have made it clear they’re fine with it, but that doesn’t make it right. Still, this is the bed everyone’s made for themselves, despite Schefter’s perceived personal biases and cozy relationships, which appear to skew what should be a straightforward news story.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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