J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
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(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Minnesota Vikings brass did not speak with national media at the NFL combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, but did hold a session with reporters who cover the franchise specifically and spoke directly to JJ McCarthy and the looming questions at the quarterback position.
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski offered a nine-word answer on McCarthy’s future and the team’s plans to add quarterback talent and depth to the position group this offseason.
“We’re exploring every option that can be out there,” Brzezinski said, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic.
The GM added that the team remains confident in McCarthy’s ability to lead the offense, though Brzezinski is only in his current position because ownership abruptly parted ways with former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in late January.
It is unclear how much McCarthy’s elevation to a starting role and the front office’s call to let Sam Darnold leave in free agency was to blame for Adofo-Mensah’s firing. However, the move came after Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to an NFC title and Super Bowl berth.
Nine days after the Vikings axed Adofo-Mensah, Darnold hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as a Super Bowl champion.
Kevin O’Connell’s Tune Has Changed on JJ McCarthy Over Past 2 Years
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
Meanwhile, McCarthy struggled to stay healthy during his second NFL season after missing his entire rookie campaign following knee surgery.
He ended up starting 10 games, going 6-4 and throwing for 1,632 yards, 10 TDs and 11 INTs (57.6 percent completion rate) while rushing the football for 181 yards and four scores.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell also spoke about McCarthy during the team’s media session Tuesday.
“It’s just the timeline is in a different place for all of us than it was,” O’Connell said, referencing the summer of 2024 before McCarthy’s initial knee injury and a couple months after the team drafted him with the No. 10 pick.
“And I have a responsibility — we have a responsibility collectively as we put together this team — to make sure that we use the data that we have at this time and the experiences we have,” O’Connell continued with regards to Minnesota making the best decision at QB.
Vikings Have Mostly Underwhelming or Expensive Options at QB Outside of JJ McCarthy
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Depending on the internal timetable ownership has set forth for competitiveness, the Vikings could go a number of different ways under center in the coming weeks.
The Atlanta Falcons have announced they will release Kirk Cousins this offseason, so a return of the veteran to a place he succeeded in an offense he is already familiar with makes sense. But that is hard to fashion that as a Super Bowl-contending kind of move.
Minnesota could trade for Kyler Murray or Tua Tagovailoa, both of whom are almost certainly available. However, that would mean forking over draft assets and assuming monster contract figures over multiple years when the team remains north of $43 million in the red with regards to the 2026 salary cap.
Dealing for Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers, if the Vikings can pry him out of the Bay Area, is probably the ideal outcome considering his low cap number and revitalized success last season, which followed a similar path as Darnold’s rise back to prominence. But Jones is going to cost a Day 2 pick for sure, and the market for him will undoubtedly prove highly competitive.
The last option is free agency. But Green Bay Packers backup Malik Willis, arguably the top free-agent option, might cost $35 million annually on a multiyear deal, and he has started only six games as a pro.