The Vikings’ Unspoken QB Mystery
The Vikings’ unspoken QB mystery rests on whether J.J. McCarthy will get a “C” slapped onto his chest. Put differently, whether the sophomore passer who is only 22 is an official team captain.
Last season, Sam Darnold was a captain. So, too, was Kirk Cousins one of the team’s captains while he was employed as the QB1. The key difference, of course, is that we’re talking about well-established veterans who had seen quite a bit in their NFL careers. Mr. McCarthy? Not as much. Complicating matters even further is the Vikings’ roster that’s well-stocked with accomplished, veteran talent.
The Vikings’ Unspoken QB Mystery
Recently, Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf spoke glowingly about his young passer’s leadership skills.
The conversation took place with Paul Allen, the well-respected Voice of the Vikings. Wilf’s thoughts on his young quarterback: “He has a gravitational pull as a leader, he really does. I think the way the players support him, I think it’s of course the talent is there. Coach O’Connell is glowing in his praises of how he’s handled everything to date. And from an off-the-field perspective, we couldn’t he happier.”
Wilf follows up that assessment, “we’re going to be supporting J.J. to have him be the success we want him to be.”
McCarthy’s approach to his craft has made its way through the organization. Hearing teammates — both current and former — offer their praise isn’t unusual at this stage. Neither is it odd to see a coach lob a compliment or two in McCarthy’s direction.
Getting such a robust endorsement from ownership, however, is noteworthy. True, some of what Wilf is saying emanates from what gets relayed from O’Connell — something that’s openly acknowledged — but there’s nevertheless a sense that Wilf is passing along both firsthand praise while also speaking on behalf of the ownership more broadly (using the word “we,” for instance).
So, one could certainly insist that J.J. McCarthy is an unusually-qualified contender to be a captain. Not many 22-year-old players can do so, but McCarthy could be the rare exception.
The issue? There’s a ton of captain carryover from last season. Go ahead and take a look the Vikings’ website for who was wearing a “C” in 2024. Just take a look at the top photo. There are eight players. Only one — quarterback Sam Darnold — has been subtracted. Brian O’Neill, Justin Jefferson, Harrison Phillips, Josh Metellus, C.J. Ham, Andrew DePaola, and Harrison Smith are still around.
Ask yourself: among those players, who should forfeit their status as the captain? All offer tremendous leadership.
One could argue that we’re dealing with a simple one-for-one swap: Sam Darnold is gone, so give that “C” to J.J. McCarthy. Easy, right?
Well, not so fast.
Ryan Kelly is a leader. Jonathan Allen is a leader. Aaron Jones is a leader. Jonathan Greenard is a leader. Move through the roster; finding accomplished veterans who offer leadership isn’t exactly difficult. Does McCarthy really leapfrog these players?
We’re talking about players who are much older, have seen a lot more, and have accomplished quite a bit as pros.
By playing quarterback, J.J. McCarthy is stepping into a leadership position. It’s inherent to the job description. What remains to be seen is if he’ll officially earn that recognition in his sophomore season.
The young arm will turn 23 in January of 2026.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.