The Minnesota Vikings may have no choice but to completely bury J.J. McCarthy on the depth chart this fall.
McCarthy, the 10th pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, struggled mightily during the 2025 season. After finishing the year with just 1,632 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, the Vikings decided to bring in Kyler Murray for a quarterback competition. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll be the team’s starter this fall.
While there’s a window of opportunity for McCarthy to improve his stock this preseason, he’s not making the most of it. During this Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, he only completed 5 of 10 passes for 81 yards. Not only did he miss a potential touchdown pass to Tai Felton, he airmailed Myles Price on fourth down at the goal line.
“I know I can make those throws,” McCarthy said, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “And it’s great to have that experience logged in and that data logged in to be able to make that throw next time.”
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Even though McCarthy took full accountability for his red zone blunders, Minnesota fans have lost patience with him. In fact, some of them are ready for him to be traded or released.
“JJ McCarthy… if you can NOT make this throw… we know what that means,” one fan said.
“McCarthy still has the problem that he just can’t get any touch on these balls. Had another one to the outside that he throws way too hard,” a second fan wrote.
“This should be a layup,” another fan commented. “Get him out of Minnesota.”
“Wentz has to be QB2 for the Vikings,” another fan declared.
Would anyone take a chance on McCarthy if he’s available?
At just 23 years old, McCarthy clearly has more room to grow. On the flip side, teams may not have that much interest in the tape he’s produced.
The Vikings have McCarthy under contract for the next two seasons, so they could be patient and let him develop behind the scenes. That being said, he truly needs reps if he’s going to improve.
If the Vikings ultimately move on from McCarthy, maybe Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers will take a chance on him.
