J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
Getty
(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The future of J.J. McCarthy as the Minnesota Vikings‘ starting QB for the 2026 NFL season. Speculation has the Vikings linked to several signal callers to bolster the position for the upcoming campaign.
As a result, McCarthy will likely have to fight for the starting job, and if he loses that competition to whoever the Vikings decide to bring in, it will make the young QB’s future even cloudier.
Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho believes that Minnesota should move on from the Michigan Wolverines product, noting that at no point has an offense run through McCarthy, and he doesn’t see that happening with the Vikings.
“J.J. McCarthy was a bust when he left college,”Acho said on the March 1 edition of “Speak Easy.” “Let’s be real. J.J. McCarthy wasn’t great in college, and he hasn’t been great in the NFL. He had a great preseason game, and I jumped on the bandwagon of that preseason game.
“But let’s be for real. J.J. McCarthy, Anthony Richardson. I said neither of them was great in college. Why are we surprised that neither of them have been great in the league?”
McCarthy finished the 2025 season with a 72.6 passer rating, throwing for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across 10 games.
J.J. McCarthy Gets Strong Message Ahead of 2026 Season
Nonetheless, McCarthy doesn’t look to be going anywhere, but in 2026, it does seem he will need to win the starting QB job. Because of this potential scenario, ESPN’s Freddie Coleman gave the Vikings signal-caller a clear message as it looks like it will be a prove-it season.
“If you’re J.J. McCarthy, and I’m sure he knows this, but I’m going to say it anyway, do not give them a reason to look for a quarterback in the 2027 draft, because that Vikings organization, Kevin O’Connell, they’ll do that,“Coleman said on the Feb. 26 edition of “Freddy & Harry. “ They may not look at the free agent crop of quarterbacks and say, ‘We’re not going to build around them. ‘ J.J. McCarthy, I like the way that he is a tough guy. He is not going to retreat from a challenge.
“He’s not going to retreat from competition, but you still have to step up and be counted or get run over by the National Football League. If he’s run over again in 2026, he will have given the Minnesota Vikings a reason to look for a quarterback in the 2027 draft, period. End of story, whether he likes it or not.”
Vikings Are Looking to Win Now
Moreover, with the Vikings looking to win now and having a team capable of doing so, Minnesota cannot afford to waste another season hoping the young QB figures it out.
“[The Vikings] are in the business of something that is too important, with the personnel you have to see if he’s going to work out in Year 3 as a starting quarterback,“ Coleman added. “That’s why I think it’s not a make‑or‑break year, but it’s a prove‑it year.”
It will be interesting to see what QB the Vikings do eventually sign to compete with McCarthy and whether it’s a player that can do more than just compete.