Despite making just 10 starts in NFL, there are plenty of people who want to throw dirt on the grave of J.J. McCarthy's NFL career.
Forget the fact that McCarthy started in the 2025 season, even after missing his entire rookie season, essentially due to an injury. Instead of re-signing Sam Darnold, or adding another veteran like Aaron Rodgers to give McCarthy the time to recover and develop, Minnesota decided to rush him into a starting role.
McCarthy had some rough outings. He was 6-4, won NFC Player of the Week, and won games on the road against Detroit and Chicago. The former Michigan football star, who led the Wolverines to the national championship in 2023, completed 57.6 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions. He also added 181 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
#Vikings QB JJ McCarthy has improved “in a major way” on things the team has asked, including his “layering” of the ball and throwing at different speeds, per @JFowlerESPN.
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) June 19, 2026
“The Vikings asked him to fix some things, including his ability to layer the ball, throw at different… pic.twitter.com/fLqRsqLt1Z
McCarthy has room to grow. It's called development. The Vikings had a few things they wanted him to work on, obviously, and according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, McCarthy has improved in a "major way."
“The Vikings asked him to fix some things, including his ability to layer the ball, throw at different speeds, I’m told he’s addressed it in a major way and it has shown," Fowler said. Mc
McCarthy is battling Kyler Murray to be the Vikings' starting quarterback. The former No. 1 overall pick signed with Minnesota this offseason. There has been chatter about a possible trade, but McCarthy made it clear that he's happy in Minnesota, even competing for the job.
It feels like plenty of Vikings fans have given up on McCarthy already. The pundits, too. However, it's way too early to do that.
McCarthy is getting ready for his third season in the NFL. Look at Sam Darnold as an example of a player who needed time to develop. The fact that McCarthy is improving is a good sign. He had some moments last season. There were some rough patches, but he was better than people are giving him credit for being, especially down the stretch.
The other thing is that Minnesota has been terrible at quarterback development. The Vikings haven't successfully drafted and developed a quarterback since Dante Culpepper. Before that, it was Fran Tarkenton.
Maybe a change of scenery wouldn't be a bad thing. Minnesota wouldn't be wise to deal with McCarthy. The chances of Murray resurrecting his career seem slight. It's been a long time since he has played at a Pro Bowl level.
McCarthy is still ascending. His best football is ahead of him. The only question is whether or not his next opportunity to play will come in Minnesota or not.
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