Being a franchise quarterback is more than just having the necessary physical tools.
Vikings second-year signal-caller J.J. McCarthy has struggled with some of the “more elemental aspects” of the position, and it’s becoming a league-wide talking point, according to The Athletic.
Those issues, plus his uneven play, have the Vikings considering alternative options at the game’s most important position, despite using the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to select the former Michigan star.
“The Vikings also knew they were drafting a young player. What they did not envision, especially following an encouraging first training camp that preceded his torn meniscus, was the challenge posed by some of the more elemental aspects of being the face of a franchise,” The Athletic’s Alec Lewis wrote.
“These growth hurdles have become widely known among NFL executives and coaches, and they were frequent topics in Indianapolis (for the NFL Combine).”
The Vikings drafted McCarthy, hoping the 23-year-old could be a long-term fix at the position, yet there are more questions now than when they selected him after he won a national title in college.
He did not play his rookie year after tearing his right meniscus, which led to Sam Darnold leading the team to an unexpected 14-3 record in 2024.
Having McCarthy factored into why the Vikings allowed Darnold to leave for the Seahawks in free agency, but that decision backfired with Darnold winning a Super Bowl as McCarthy underwhelmed.
McCarthy threw 11 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions across 10 games, while tallying just 1,632 passing yards.
The Athletic reported that several team sources described McCarthy’s play as “inconsistent, adding that staffers did not know what to expect each week.
“This resulted in visible stress for (coach Kevin) O’Connell in interviews and privately around the TCO Performance Center,” Lewis wrote.
The team is reportedly hoping McCarthy improves his footwork and processing, but also aiming to upgrade the options beyond him, should he falter.
The Vikings aren’t seeking a franchise quarterback to supplant McCarthy, according to The Athletic, but are looking for a veteran who does not cost much either in free agency or via trade.
Ex-Vikings starter Kirk Cousins has been linked to the team now that the Falcons are moving on from the veteran, along with the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray and the Raiders’ Geno Smith.
“The starting point is outside of some bumps and bruises here, he’s going to have a healthy offseason,” O’Connell said in a video produced by the Vikings. “With his journey up and until this point, he’s gotten 10 starts where we’ve been able to see a lot of the things that we really, really liked about J.J. when we drafted him. We’ve seen some growth, we’ve seen some of that development time over time, but we’re still talking about quite a few opportunities of development phase and growth phase missed.
“He knows it’s a big offseason for him. He didn’t need anybody to tell him that. He certainly didn’t me to tell him that. … He is hungry.”
O’Connell added he believes McCarthy can use those 10 games from this past season to be in the best possible situation for 2026.
Said O’Connell: “We’ve really got to push the gas pedal down and not replace development and coaching and teaching with anything but really enhance it with a really competitive situation that I think our whole team will benefit from.”