One Offseason Priority Stands Above the Rest for the Vikings
Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings had to decide whether Sam Darnold should continue to thrive as the QB1 in the Twin Cities or if J.J. McCarthy should take over.
Ultimately, the club chose McCarthy, and the decision-makers once again enter an offseason with the same quarterback question.
J.J. McCarthy’s Future Is the Top Priority
In the upcoming offseason, the Vikings will have to decide if it’s worth trying to turn McCarthy into the franchise quarterback or not, at least according to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox.
Compiling a list of every team’s top offseason priority, he wrote this week, “Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season following knee surgery. He’s been in and out of the lineup in Year 2 because of various injuries, and he’s only looked like a capable starter on occasion. McCarthy’s play has been so bad at times that some have wondered if he should be benched for his own good.”
Even the biggest McCarthy fans can’t deny any of that. There are two major concerns.
First, the injuries. McCarthy missed all of last year with a torn meniscus. It robbed him of a normal rookie season, and he couldn’t refine his mechanics or practice throwing passes to get a feel for the game. This season, an ankle injury paused his development, and a concussion cost him another game. Those three injuries have already sidelined him from 23 regular-season games.
In the seven he actually participated in, McCarthy has rarely actually looked like a future franchise quarterback. Prior to last week’s game against the Commanders, he had maybe a half-dozen good drives in the first six games, and that’s not going to get it done in the NFL.
Knox wrote about that outing, “Now, McCarthy played well in Minnesota’s Week 14 win, and if he can build off of his latest performance (129.2 QB rating), his future may not seem so uncertain in the offseason.”
It surely was his best performance and provided at least some hope. McCarthy was efficient with the ball and finally didn’t put it in harm’s way. Timing and accuracy were much improved, though the mechanics and footwork are still all over the place.
He’ll now have four more games to make the case that he deserves to be the QB1 going forward. Depending on his play, the Vikings could swing big for competition or even a replacement.
Knox concluded, “Right now, though, the Vikings have to wonder if McCarthy can be their long-term answer, whether they can fully commit to him as their 2026 starter, and/or if they should bring in a veteran to push him—as the Colts did when they acquired Daniel Jones to challenge Anthony Richardson this past offseason.”
Folks have already pointed out some potentially available quarterbacks. Free agents include Joe Flacco and Daniel Jones, but the latter suffered a torn Achilles tendon last Sunday and might not be ready for the season opener, let alone training camp.
A big swing could be Joe Burrow, who’s unlikely to be available given his talent, but his recent comments have raised some eyebrows. Perhaps Kyler Murray is a compromise between the two categories. Mac Jones is an early candidate to be next year’s Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith, and Daniel Jones as a QB reclamation project that has earned a new QB gig. He’s under contract with the 49ers for another year, though, and would only be available in a trade.
McCarthy is still only 22 years old, but injuries and inconsistent play have prevented him from proving that he’s the new QB1 in the Twin Cities. He’ll continue to be the top storyline for the Vikings.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.