Kevin O’Connell Weighs-In on Benching J.J. McCarthy
Back in August, the idea of benching J.J. McCarthy wasn’t something Minnesota’s leadership entertained as a realistic possibility (if they had, then reinforcing the quarterback position would have been prudent).
Instead, head coach Kevin O’Connell put all of the team’s weight behind the 22-year-old sophomore. McCarthy has had some tremendous moments, but those moments have been weighed down by consistent issues with taking too many hits, turnovers, and inaccuracy. Accordingly, Coach O’Connell had to fend off questions about putting McCarthy on the bench.
Kevin O’Connell, J.J. McCarthy, & The Bench
During his press conference following the 19-17 defeat to the Bears, Coach O’Connell clarified that his young arm is on a journey.
“It’s part of the young QB journey,” the head coach said roughly five minutes into his presser, “results like today.” There was then discussion of managing the desire to win now while still developing a passer experiencing significant growing pains. Shortly thereafter, there was the direct question about benching McCarthy, leading to O’Connell’s response: “Yeah, I don’t, I’m not going to get into any at of that right now.”
So, a non-answer for an answer. In fairness, the question was somewhat speculative in nature, asking about the threshold for a benching. Note, though, that the broader context of that question was a discussion about developing McCarthy versus winning now.
Would benching McCarthy make sense in the name of winning more presently?
Pursuing an evasive response is one way of avoiding controversy. Kevin O’Connell did not say that he considered inserting Max Brosmer. Nor, for that matter, did he indicate that the coaching staff will be considering a switch in the coming days.
However, it’s notable enough that he didn’t affirm his commitment to McCarthy.
The question could have very easily led to O’Connell doubling down on his characteristic optimism. Building player confidence — especially at quarterback — is one of the defining parts of O’Connell’s coaching style.
O’Connell could have said something akin to this message: “I understand that J.J. McCarthy’s play hasn’t been good enough, but he’s our starting quarterback and nothing has changed in that regard. We’ll get him ready to bounce back in Week 12.”
Instead of articulating unwavering confidence, O’Connell decided to sidestep the issue, allowing it to remain a possibility (however unlikely) going into his Monday press conference (takes place later today).
For whatever it’s worth, O’Connell didn’t sound like a coach who is leaning toward a switch. Rather, he sounded like a coach who plans on digging deeper with his quarterback, seeking an improvement rather than a replacement.
Based on the on-field play alone, J.J. McCarthy should be benched; in no way is that a controversial statement.
Sitting on a 2-3 record, J.J. McCarthy is completing just 52.9% of his passes. Among qualified quarterbacks on PFR, McCarthy sits in 35th out of the 35 under consideration. He’s sitting in that spot despite having arguably the most impressive array of skill in the NFL (though drops have been a problem). The 34th-place quarterback is rookie Cam Ward, someone who sits at 58.4% passing, a strong step ahead of Minnesota’s starter despite playing for a 1-9 Titans team that has already fired its head coach.
The passing yardage is coming in at 35th, as well. Across five games, he has topped out at 248 yards. His average comes in at 168 yards per game. There’s then the 8 interceptions to stand alongside 6 touchdowns. Add it all together and McCarthy is playing benchable football.
At 4-6, the Vikings are fast approaching the point where 2025 success becomes impossible. Currently, Minnesota sees their playoff odds coming in around 2%, per The Athletic.
Minnesota could turn to Max Brosmer or John Wolford, but doing so comes with questions. Is it fair to insert the rookie UDFA? What upside is there in promoting Wolford apart from shielding the young passers from a relentless NFL?
Going forward, O’Connell is very likely to lean on McCarthy as Minnesota’s QB1. No matter how things go, the Vikings must glean further insight in their effort to determine whether the long-term starter is employed in the Twin Cities or if the one they’re looking for is still out there. Things could still be ugly, but McCarthy must be given a larger amount of games to show what he’s capable of doing.
Next up is a road battle against the Packers in Week 12.
