This is one outlet's own report from Newsweek — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
Jon Gruden Airs Thoughts on Vikings' Recent QB Debacle
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. How the Minnesota Vikings arrived at a quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy merits critique in former NFL head coach Jon Gruden’s eyes.
Known as a quarterback specialist, Gruden won a Super Bowl as a head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. He ironically had a former Vikings quarterback, Brad Johnson, leading the Buccaneers that year.
Gruden can truly speak to what happened with the Vikings quarterback room in the past year. He couldn’t ignore it either during his guest appearance on Barstool Sports on Thursday.
“I gotta think that Kyler Murray is gonna be the guy personally but I don’t understand what the hell is going on in Minnesota,” Gruden said regarding the quarterback competition. “How you let Sam Darnold walk out of there after the year he had winning 14 games and how you let Daniel Jones out of there I have no idea.”
Darnold had a career year with the Vikings in 2024 with a 66.2% completion rate for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions. He left in free agency for the Seattle Seahawks and won a Super Bowl, while the Vikings turned the keys over to McCarthy.
Then there was Jones, who was just on the Vikings roster after the New York Giants released him. Minnesota let him walk in free agency, and Jones, a former first-round pick, never played a snap for the Vikings.
Darnold completed 67.7% of his passes for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns versus 14 picks last season in Seattle. Jones had a career year with the Indianapolis Colts, as he completed 68% of his passes for 3,101 yards and 19 touchdowns versus eight interceptions. McCarthy, meanwhile, stumbled with a 57.6% completion rate amid 1,632 yards and 11 touchdowns versus 12 picks in his first year as a starter.
The Vikings brought in Murray, a former No. 1 pick by the Arizona Cardinals, amid hopes to find an answer at quarterback. As Gruden sees it, the answer headed for the Pacific Northwest and won a ring. The second option, Jones, found greener pastures and a big contract in Indianapolis.
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.
