Vikings Season Hinges on 3 Unknowns
The Minnesota Vikings have a decent football team for the upcoming season, especially after investing heavily to fix some of the flaws, such as the offensive line, by signing two pricey free agents and spending the 24th overall pick to acquire Donovan Jackson.
Vikings Season Hinges on 3 Unknowns
Some other spots will also have new starters, but those aren’t proven commodities and therefore, could sink the ship.
J.J. McCarthy
Sam Darnold left for Seattle, Daniel Jones for Indianapolis, and long-time backup Nick Mullens for Jacksonville. The Vikings will presumably give the QB1 job to sophomore J.J. McCarthy. Although they haven’t come out and said it, that’s pretty much the obvious outcome.
McCarthy is a proven winner. He won two state championships in high school and a national championship in college. At Michigan, McCarthy was a fantastic quarterback in a run-first offense. He wasn’t asked to carry the load, but he was frequently asked to save drives on third downs and mostly did just that.
The sophomore has all the tools to succeed at the NFL level, too, but early injuries have derailed many careers, and countless other talented players just didn’t translate to the NFL. It’s also worth noting that a first-year starter isn’t guaranteed to be a Pro Bowler anyway.
All of that combined is enough reason for concern. The good news is that McCarthy has drawn praise from every coach and teammate who has gotten the chance to talk into a mic ever since he was drafted, and there’s no reason to expect him to fail in a wonderful offense and with Kevin O’Connell calling the shots.
If he doesn’t live up to the expectations, there’s no real alternative in place. It’s hard to envision Sam Howell leading a deep playoff run.
Theo Jackson
Safety Theo Jackson will be asked to become a starter in the league, or at least to play a massive role in his fourth season. Cam Bynum left in free agency, leaving Harrison Smith and Joshua Metellus as the two top safeties.
Given Brian Flores’ defense, which often featured three safeties in the past, and considering both Smith and Metellus are excellent defenders in the box, it’s fair to assume Jackson will be asked to shoulder a significant workload.
The Vikings extended Jackson’s contract prior to free agency, and he is now paid like a low-end starter or high-end backup, comparable to Blake Brandel, who signed a contract like that last year and was handed a starting job.
In three seasons with the Vikings, Jackson has played only 222 defensive snaps, and he will likely surpass that after a handful of games. We won’t know if he’s up for the task, and neither do the Vikings, because he has never had to play that many snaps other than in a couple of fill-in duties. Those were fine, but an entire season is a different animal.
Mekhi Blackmon
Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon is kind of a mix of McCarthy and Jackson. He was drafted in the third round in 2023 and played 435 defensive snaps in his rookie season, mostly looking like a promising defender, but like Jackson, he is unproven, and it remains to be seen if he can play a more significant role.
Blackmon missed the 2024 campaign with a torn ACL suffered early in training camp. He’s now cleared, but like McCarthy, there’s no guarantee that he can just overcome a year off.
The Vikings re-signed Byron Murphy Jr. and added Isaiah Rodgers in free agency. Those two guys likely form the top cornerback duo. Blackmon is the next guy on the depth chart, and in the 2020s, most plays feature three cornerbacks.
The secondary is a weak-link system. One weakness will be attacked by opponents, and one breakdown is deadly. If Blackmon doesn’t work out, it doesn’t matter that Murphy Jr. and Rodgers do. And Rodgers hasn’t proven to be capable of the full-time starting role either, and could’ve made the list as well.
Minnesota’s cornerback room is a reason for concern.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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