J.J. McCarthy Needs to Understand What’s at Stake Now
Now that the Max Brosmer discourse has all but come to an end after the disasterpiece he put together in Week 13 in Seattle, the Minnesota Vikings are now shifting all of their focus back to J.J. McCarthy for the rest of the 2025 NFL season.
It hasn’t been pretty whatsoever when it comes to quarterback play for the Vikings, with their most notable performances coming from Carson Wentz. McCarthy has inspired confidence in moments (like Week 9 in Detroit), but outside of those few and far-between circumstances, McCarthy has mostly been a detriment. Brosmer‘s display this past Sunday obviously inspired absolutely zero confidence.
The Return of J.J. McCarthy
Thus, it is yet again up to McCarthy. After sitting out Week 13 against the Seahawks while being in concussion protocol, he will likely be out there at U.S. Bank Stadium this coming Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
It may not feel like it as Minnesota sits at 4-8, but the final five contests of their 2025 season are very important when it comes to the long-term future of the organization. Minnesota needs to find out if it is even worth taking McCarthy into a quarterback competition going into 2026, let alone going forward with him in 2026 and beyond.
We are all seemingly over the belief that you need to give quarterbacks time to develop. It is understandable, as McCarthy’s performance to this point has basically been historically bad. Add in the context that Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Aaron Rodgers (all quarterbacks the Vikings could’ve had in the 2025 offseason) are all in the playoff race.
McCarthy’s 2024 NFL Draft classmate Drake Maye, the apple of many Vikings fans’ eyes during the draft process, is also currently the odds-on favorite to win NFL MVP in his second year. It’s pretty annoying as a fan to see that when the guy leading your squad can barely lead a scoring drive.
The Important Final Five Games of 2025
McCarthy needs to have a good closing-out to 2025 if he wants to remain the chosen one in the Twin Cities. At the moment, the Vikings do have to bring in a veteran in 2026 to be in the room with McCarthy at the very least. Whether it’s Mac Jones, Joe Flacco, or a re-signed Carson Wentz, it would feel like malpractice to go into next season with a QB room led by only McCarthy and Brosmer.
They must go into the year with an insurance policy at least, and if McCarthy doesn’t close out 2025 on a high note, there will be plenty of buzz about that insurance policy becoming the daily driver. What the Vikings need from the kid is just something to build off of.
The kid missed his entire rookie season with a leg injury, meaning he lost an entire year of reps crucial to his development. That’s not to say he can’t develop whatsoever, but that is a very big deal. He is a work-in-progress, and it is obvious that he is seeing things a bit too late right now. There needs to be more reps and experience in order for the game to slow down, because McCarthy looks very go-go-go when he is back to pass.
If McCarthy can have a strong bookend to this season, then he can inspire confidence amongst the Vikings’ brass and its fanbase. Make no mistake, he is playing for his NFL career in a way that seemingly meaningless games to the non-studious eye.
