J.J. McCarthy Has Pivoted to Step 2
Best guess: J.J. McCarthy is going to rise to the occasion. The current competition is going to make him a better player even if he does slot in as the QB2, which remains the likeliest scenario.
McCarthy losing the starter’s job won’t be due to lack of effort. Previously, he had been working alongside a QB coach in California, responding to the challenge from Minnesota’s coaching staff. Getting back into the Twin Cities means working on building up his body, as Kevin O’Connell explained earlier in the week.
Ideally, he’ll do so in a manner that allows for health for the duration of the 2026 offseason, regular season, and playoffs (if those games follow). What needs to be determined is if the recent pivot toward the TCO weight room functions as the needed stepping stone toward remaining as the starter.
J.J. McCarthy is Working Out at TCO
Give the Vikings’ top leaders some truth serum. Almost certainly, the admission would be that Kyler Murray is the favorite to start.
In fact, there has already been some chatter about Murray being more than just a bridge guy (Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated offers some insight). Given his age, Murray could slot into the QB1 spot for another decade. Much remains for that to become a reality but it’s a possibility that signing a Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, or Kirk Cousins didn’t offer.
Bringing Mr. Murray to town makes a ton of sense. He’s a clunky fit for the offense, at least in terms of how it has functioned in recent years. What makes it worth it, though, is that he’s a crazy talented playmaker who is 28 and playing for just $1.3 million.
J.J. McCarthy needs to step up.
The 23-year-old quarterback led his team to a 6-4 record. Stretched out to a full seventeen games, winning 60% of the games means finishing at 10-7. Not elite, but good enough to get into the playoffs.
The statistics were modest, to say the least. McCarthy completed 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. In the modern NFL, completing less than 60% of the passes is very, very poor. What’s worth remembering, though, is that the folks at Next Gen Stats put McCarthy’s expected completion percentage at 62.8% (the exact same number as Drake Maye, for whatever that’s worth).
Right now, the absolute best thing J.J. McCarthy can do is to build his body.
Already, there has been an effort to continue fine tuning his mechanics. That was the task out in California while working alongside private QB coach John Beck. He’s now in the Twin Cities, working out while trying to keep pushing his game higher.
J.J. McCarthy is doing all of this while trying to chase down Kyler Murray. J.J. McCarthy is doing so while needing to stay in front of Carson Wentz, the third option but capable of starting (and winning).
The Michigan alumnus isn’t the world’s most rugged athlete, but he stands at 6’3″ and is listed at 219 pounds. Pushing his frame a touch higher, such as climbing up to around 225, could be a nice step so long as muscle is getting added.
Last year, there were some concerns about his weight loss while recovering from his knee injury. Getting bulkier wasn’t an issue, but the possibility exists that working on recovery robbed him of building his body in a specific way. Did he need to focus on basic health rather than being able to fully chase an optimal way of preparing for the rough and tumble NFL?
Going from mechanics in California to working out in Minneapolis is a progression that makes sense. After the season’s bumps and bruises, escape to sunny skies to focus on lower impact work. He’s now working out and mastering whatever adjustments are getting made to the scheme, meaning there’s a mixture of physical and mental work.
And, to be sure, the focus on mechanics will an ongoing endeavor.
In a few months, J.J. McCarthy will pivot again, fully stepping into the open competition that will take place with Kyler Murray once training camp begins.
