League Should Fear New Vikings Duo, Says Analyst.
The Minnesota Vikings have a scary duo. Kevin O’Connell and J.J. McCarthy will be the new partners on the offensive side of the ball, and that could be a problem for the NFL, at least according to Bucky Brooks (NFL.com).
League Should Fear Vikings Duo, Says Analyst.
Brooks listed his top five new tandems of QBs and play-callers, and the Vikings came in second.
He explained the list: “I took some time to review the NFL QBs who were joined with play-callers they’ve never worked with before in regular-season action — and vice-versa — and ranked the five scariest new combinations in 2025. The below list includes new coaching hires joining incumbent QBs, one rising young pro in line to start for the first time, one veteran free-agent signal-caller and one rookie with an extremely high profile.”
O’Connell remains as Minnesota’s offensive mastermind, and for the second consecutive year, his QB1 is about to change. J.J. McCarthy will take over for Sam Darnold.
Brooks wrote about the new dream team: “In his three years at the helm, KOC has worked wonders with every quarterback donning purple, including Sam Darnold, who revitalized his career by helping Minnesota finish sixth in the NFL in passing yards in 2024.”
Indeed, Darnold had a career year, Kirk Cousins was on pace to have his best season in 2023 prior to his Achilles injury, and even Nick Mullens and Josh Dobbs produced some strong games, although those were filled with turnovers. O’Connell’s track record is pretty strong when it comes to QB play.
“So it follows that the Vikings’ offense should continue to roll even as McCarthy, who missed his rookie year because of a preseason knee injury, takes over as a first-time starter under center this season,” Brooks continued. “Yes, McCarthy arrived in the NFL as the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft with a limited amount of experience (28 college starts), and he has not been able to gain much more yet. But the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder adds a different dimension to the offense as a mobile playmaker with the potential to terrorize opponents inside or outside the pocket.”
McCarthy will be O’Connell’s first shot at a homegrown quarterback prospect drafted early. Jaren Hall didn’t survive long, but a fifth-rounder isn’t really comparable to a first-rounder. McCarthy won in high school, and he won in college. He brings movement skills and arm talent to the table and has already drawn praise for his performance in OTAs.
More from Brooks: “I expect the call sheet to feature more movement-based concepts and RPOs that could make the young gunslinger a dynamic weapon in the backfield, meaning the Vikings’ prolific playmakers should ring up big numbers while snagging passes all over the yard. With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones taking turns as playmakers in a ‘catch-and-run’ offense, the Vikings should remain a high-powered unit with McCarthy running the show.”
Minnesota is a dream situation for any quarterback. O’Connell is a significant reason for that, but the offensive weapons help, too.
Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson are as good a pass-catching trio as there is in the NFL, and Aaron Jones is another sneaky good receiver coming out of the backfield. We’ll see how much Jalen Nailor and rookie Tai Felton will produce in 2025.
Another aspect is the rebuilt offensive line with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill on the outside and the new trio of Donovan Jackson, Will Fries, and Ryan Kelly handling the interior.
You might want to know who the top new QB-play-caller duo is on Brooks’ list. The division rival Bears hired Ben Johnson this offseason to take over the head coaching position, and he is asked to give Caleb Williams, last year’s first overall pick, a boost. The passer has all the talent in the world, and the coach captained the best offense in the league over the last two seasons in Detroit.
In Week 1, those two teams will collide in a divisional clash.