J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
There most prominent talk surrounding the Minnesota Vikings this offseason has been regarding what they will do at the quarterback position. After one season of relying on J.J. McCarthy to start, the plan very obviously needs to change.
Despite missing his entire rookie season due to injury, the Vikings all but gave the job to their former first round pick. It went horribly, and now they need to right the wrong.
So far it has seemed like McCarthy would have competition in the quarterback room. At the NFL Combine this week though, there have been reports that McCarthy could simply be moved on from altogether.
JJ McCarthy on the outs for Minnesota Vikings
There is so much noise that it will be truly difficult to determine the Minnesota Vikings plan until it is actually executed. That said, Tony Pauline (Essentially Sports) is hearing that the plan may not include J.J. McCarthy at all.
The Minnesota Vikings are quietly exploring an exit strategy for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, according to multiple league sources…The consensus opinion here at the Combine is that the Vikings are in the market for a new starting quarterback. In fact, a source tells me the team is really down on quarterback J.J. McCarthy and is ready to move on from their 2024 first-round pick. The team will bring in another signal caller to compete and eventually replace McCarthy, who was the 10th selection of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Tony Pauline – Essentially Sports
It would be quite a damning outcome for the Vikings to simply deal the 10th overall pick from just two seasons ago. However, that’s also reflective of how poor and unavailable he has been.
Across just 10 games last season, McCarthy completed only 57.6% of his passes. He had an 11/12 TD/INT ratio, and often struggled to get his best playmaker, Justin Jefferson, the ball.
TRENDING: Video of #Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy at the 2024 scouting combine has resurfaced and gone viral.
What do you notice about McCarthy‘s performance…?
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pic.twitter.com/XLdWFjlXiJ
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) February 28, 2026
The Minnesota Vikings invested significant capital and time in McCarthy. They won’t get anywhere near that level of compensation for him in trade, but could look to swap change of scenery talent.
MN Vikings may have no choice to move McCarthy
With a veteran quarterback expected to come in with sights set on starting for Kevin O’Connell, it may mean there’s simply no way J.J. McCarthy can coexist. As a backup, the starter would need to be willing to allow McCarthy an opportunity as an understudy. It’s also not certain he’ll ever reach the once-projected ceiling.
In Indianapolis during the NFL Combine, head coach Kevin O’Connell suggested that Minnesota’s timeline no longer aligns with that of McCarthy’s development. This team was built to win in 2025 and that didn’t happen. The head coach is now on the hot seat and can’t let a project sink his job.
At just 23 years old, there’s no reason for the NFL as a whole to make a determination on McCarthy’s potential effectiveness. For now though, the Minnesota Vikings timer may have run out. It has always been expected that new faces will be in the quarterback room next season. McCarthy may also not be among them.
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