Corum’s optimism might be waved away by some, but it is founded on seeing McCarthy excel up close in Ann Arbor.
Although Michigan was undoubtedly a run-first team, thanks in large part to Corum’s contributions, McCarthy was a leader on the Wolverines’ national championship team, completing 72.3 percent of his passes for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Vikings also saw enough in McCarthy to invest highly in him. Unfortunately, Corum and Minnesota’s faith in McCarthy has not translated to the field thus far.
With McCarthy sidelined due to injury in 2024, Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-win season. Minnesota didn’t retain Darnold the following offseason, instead pushing its chips to the middle of the table on McCarthy, after which Darnold won Super Bowl LX with the Seattle Seahawks and the Vikings missed the playoffs.
McCarthy made 10 starts in 2025, missing time at various points of the season due to a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his right hand, and he wasn’t at all transformative when under center. He threw for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a paltry 57.6 completion percentage.
The struggles led the Vikings to sign Kyler Murray in free agency. They also brought back Carson Wentz, who started five games for the team last season. In doing so, they’ve ensured multiple avenues to quality QB play in the campaign to come, a must for a team with a ferocious defense and surrounding offensive pieces ready to compete now.
What comes of the depth chart remains to be seen, but McCarthy is still only 23. He’s barely double-digit games into his career, and he did show flashes in 2025 — such as a Week 1 comeback over the Chicago Bears or managing Minnesota to four wins in his final four starts.
His ex-Vikings teammate Darnold showed how long one can take to develop into the QB they’re meant to be, and his ex-college team Corum believes it’s all out in front of McCarthy to do the same.
First, though, McCarthy must find his way to the field amid a crowded quarterback room.
