J.J. McCarthy’s performance raised a major red flag the Minnesota Vikings cannot ignore going into the 2026 season
After being replaced as the starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy didn’t do enough to show that he’s in a good spot moving forward.
Saturday’s preseason opener was a 13-10 win for the Minnesota Vikings, but the scoreboard told a far less compelling story than what unfolded at the quarterback position.
Starting quarterback Kyler Murray ran a clean, steady opening drive: nine plays, three passes, six rushes, 54 yards, and a field goal. There were minor issues with ball placement and communication, but the operation looked comfortable and controlled. The Aaron Jones play at the end of the drive drew some attention because pressure came from Murray’s left shoulder, forcing a throw to the right. It wasn’t perfectly placed, but it was catchable and kept the ball away from defenders. Good process.
Murray’s drive, however, was not the story. The real conversation centered on the two quarterbacks behind him, primarily J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy’s performance was rough by any measure
McCarthy finished 4-of-7 for 34 yards with an average depth of target of 8.4 yards. That included a 20-yard fade stop dropped by wide receiver Tai Felton, which was arguably McCarthy’s best rep of the day. If you like McCarthy, you can point to the supporting cast and the lack of help around him. If you’re skeptical of McCarthy, you can place blame squarely on the quarterback who has the ball in his hands and needs to navigate pressure. The truth lies somewhere in between.
The concerns with McCarthy remain mechanical and fundamental. He is getting into his dropback depth too fast and hitching too much in the pocket, which makes his accuracy and ball placement inconsistent. Most critically, his base is wildly inconsistent from snap to snap. You want to see a quarterback attack with a consistent base. McCarthy gets too wide, and when you step on a throw instead of stepping into it, especially with the velocity he generates, the ball sails. That out route he threw was a prime example.
He was not seeing the field well, nor sensing pressure well. One of his better throws was a missile off his back foot on a Hank concept, a fake 15-to-20-yard deep curl to Miles Price. You want to see that kind of off-platform ability, but we are talking about a quarterback who has been mechanically inconsistent his entire career in Minnesota. Showing flashes of talent off-script does not fix a broken process.
By PFF’s grades, McCarthy posted a 47.5 overall and 50.0 passing. He does not look comfortable in the pocket, and there is a real possibility that he has lost his confidence. When you lose your starting job and you are trying to claw your way back, that is a difficult mental space to occupy.
McCarthy is not a playable quarterback right now
You cannot look at JJ McCarthy’s tape from Saturday and say you would start that player. If the Vikings threw him out there in Week 1, he would be destroyed. That is the reality for a former top-10 pick that everybody wants to succeed.
The blame here is shared. Kevin O’Connell should have done a better job developing McCarthy, but you can only draw so much from a stone. There is a real chance McCarthy just is not good enough. Both sides are culpable, and the full story will not emerge until this situation plays out completely.
The messaging after the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah firing was telling. Suddenly, McCarthy became “Kwesi’s guy” and “Kwesi’s pick.” O’Connell was not involved. Alec Lewis of The Athletic once deemed O’Connell “the quarterback killer,” alluding to O’Connell saying no to the selections of both Will Levis and Hendon Hooker. If that is true, how is anyone supposed to believe O’Connell did not have a huge say in selecting McCarthy? It does not add up.
New general manager Nolan Teasley has no investment in McCarthy. He is essentially O’Connell’s get-out-of-jail-free card. You bring in a new GM, the new GM does not like the player, and you move on. Sometimes things are oil and water, and you do not know that until you get the player in the building.
A divorce may be the best outcome for both sides
Carson Wentz was not good Saturday either, leaving the Vikings looking at two subpar options behind Murray. Neither backup deserves meaningful regular-season snaps based on what they showed.
It would be unprecedented for a quarterback who got benched in year three of his rookie deal to come back and become the franchise quarterback for that team. McCarthy’s two best games last season came against Washington and Dallas, the two worst defenses in the league per EPA per play. O’Connell had to trim the playbook significantly to accommodate him, which is not a good sign for long-term viability.
The Vikings and McCarthy both need to be the best versions of themselves. That is not going to happen together. A fresh start would benefit both parties, and while that stinks, it is the reality of where this situation stands.
