J.J. McCarthy Gets Good News Ahead of 1st Season as Vikings Starter

The Minnesota Vikings have made a massive bet on second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy and there really isn’t any backing out now.

The Vikings have constructed what is arguably a Super-Bowl caliber roster but have built the team in such a way that there are minimal and relatively unreliable options behind McCarthy heading into the upcoming campaign.

While that isn’t necessarily the best news for the franchise or its star players who surround the QB position, it equates to excellent job security for the second-year signal-caller who likely has at least two seasons of runway to turn himself into the franchise QB.

“He’s getting his shot to play after a knee injury wiped out his rookie season,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote of McCarthy on Saturday, July 5. “Anything other than an outright disaster will ensure his status for 2026. At worst, he’d have to compete with a more established veteran next year.”

Vikings Let Alternatives to J.J. McCarthy Depart in Free Agency Over Last 2 Offseasons

The Vikings had more options this offseason but let them move on to different opportunities.

Minnesota could have re-signed Sam Darnold after a Pro Bowl campaign in 2024 that ended in the first round of the playoffs, but didn’t want to pay him on par with the $100 million-plus he got from the Seattle Seahawks.

Daniel Jones also joined the roster during the middle of last year but left in the offseason for a $14 million offer over one year and presumably a better chance to compete for the starting job in Indianapolis with the Colts.

The Vikings let Kirk Cousins walk ahead of the 2024 campaign for $180 million from the Atlanta Falcons ($100 million guaranteed) and used the No. 10 overall pick in that draft to secure McCarthy out of the University of Michigan, though he missed the entirety of his rookie campaign due to a knee injury he sustained during a preseason game last August.

Minnesota traded a fifth-round pick swap in 2025 with the Seahawks for Sam Howell, who enters training camp as the likely backup QB. Brett Rypien is the No. 3 currently, while undrafted free agent Max Brosmer out of the University of Minnesota is QB4 with training camp coming later this month.

J.J. McCarthy Has Advantage of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison as Top 2 Wide Receivers

McCarthy will also have the benefit of throwing to one of the best wide receiver duos in the league next season in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Moe Moton of Bleacher Report compared them to wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles when he named Addison as the “most promising building block” on the Vikings’ roster.

Jefferson has established himself as a star receiver, winning the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year award and earning two All-Pro nods,” Moton wrote Saturday. “Addison may not achieve those accolades, but he can stack 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons. Already one of the league’s top No. 2 receivers, Addison has racked up 133 catches for 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns in 32 contests.”

Minnesota’s offensive scheme should also prove favorable for the production rates of McCarthy and Addison in 2025.

“In all three of his seasons as Vikings head coach and offensive play-caller, Kevin O’Connell has fielded a top-six passing attack, which bodes well for Addison’s production outlook in a complementary pass-catching role,” Moton continued.