J.J. McCarthy situation goes from bad to worse, so here’s what the Vikings need to do for 2026
J.J. McCarthy had to do two things entering this season: 1) Prove he could be a capable starting quarterback in the NFL, and 2) Show that he could stay healthy after missing his rookie season because of a knee injury.
Unfortunately, he has done neither and that puts the Vikings (4-7) in an unenviable situation.
McCarthy’s dreadful performance in a 23-6 loss on Sunday at Green Bay was followed by coach Kevin O’Connell announcing at his Monday press conference that McCarthy had entered the concussion protocol after reporting symptoms on the flight home after the game.
McCarthy already missed five games this season because of a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 2 against Atlanta. The Vikings are 2-4 in games McCarthy has started, and he has had three porous performances since beating the Detroit Lions on Nov. 2. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards with two interceptions and five sacks against the Packers in his third consecutive rocky performance.
Assuming that backup Max Brosmer starts on Sunday in Seattle, McCarthy will have missed 23 of 29 games in his two seasons. When McCarthy has played, he has too often looked overwhelmed. He ranks at or near the bottom in the NFL in many statistical categories, completing only 54.1 percent of his passes and registering a 57.9 passer rating.
When McCarthy returned from his ankle injury, the hope was that he would be able to remain healthy for the final 10 games of the regular season, giving O’Connell and the front office a reason to think he could be the team’s starting quarterback next season.
That hasn’t come close to happening and you have to wonder if decisions already are being made about the Vikings’ future at quarterback. Even if McCarthy was playing at a decent level, his injury issues would be enough to scare a team.
This isn’t to suggest the Vikings sever ties with McCarthy for 2026, but there’s a case to be made the 22-year-old needs extensive work before he starts another game and not bringing in another capable starting-caliber quarterback would be malpractice. Especially for a team that has two outstanding wide receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
The Vikings won’t say it, but they clearly are surprised by how McCarthy has looked in games. During the practices open to the media during the offseason and training camp McCarthy had his ups-and-downs, but nothing as bad as how he looked against the Falcons, Ravens, Bears and Packers.
The Vikings are receiving criticism for their decision to move away from Sam Darnold after last season, but I was among those who thought it was the right move. The Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th pick of the 2024 draft — making him the first quarterback drafted in the Top 10 in franchise history —and needed to find out what they had in him.
Having a quarterback on a rookie contract also allowed them to invest their money elsewhere. That’s exactly what the Vikings did this offseason — spending the second-most amount of money in the NFL on their free agent class — but that also has proven to be underwhelming.
Darnold, whom the Vikings will see on Sunday when they face the Seahawks, has gone from bust to one of the main reasons Seattle is 8-3 this season. (I’m still curious to see how Darnold does when the pressure gets turned up in the playoffs.) The Vikings also had Daniel Jones walk out the door after he signed with them in late November of 2024 following his release by the New York Giants.
