J.J. McCarthy’s biggest problem right now isn’t with his performance, and it’s a big deal for the Minnesota Vikings
Injuries have mounted for J.J. McCarthy, and it creates a conundrum for Kevin O’Connell.
The 2025 season for the Minnesota Vikings has been nothing short of a mitigated disaster. They started the season 4-7 with a bevy of injuries impacting them at nearly every position, with the biggest of them being at quarterback.
J.J. McCarthy is one of two quarterbacks who suffered significant injuries this season. He and Carson Wentz missed multiple games each, and it’s been the biggest theme of the Vikings’ season. Head coach Kevin O’Connell did a lot to try and mitigate the issues surrounding the offense, but it didn’t work due to the poor quarterback play.
J.J. McCarthy’s biggest issue isn’t his play
We know that McCarthy and Wentz both struggled under center, but the biggest issue with McCarthy isn’t the on-field play. It’s the fact that he can’t stay healthy. Over the eight games he’s played, McCarthy has suffered four documented injuries. Suffering one for every two games you play is insane.
This is where things currently become murky for the Vikings. McCarthy’s been hurt so much that he’s missed 23 regular-season games, two preseason games, and one playoff game. The best ability is availability, and McCarthy hasn’t had that.
It’s a little odd that McCarthy, who was very healthy in college at Michigan, is incredibly injured in the NFL. Some of that is just bad luck, but McCarthy isn’t putting himself in good situations either. His high ankle sprain and getting into concussion protocol were arguably both caused because he wasn’t protecting himself.
That becomes a major problem for the Vikings. If you can’t play on Sundays, how much value are you bringing to the organization? It also brings into question the quote from O’Connell talking about how organizations fail young quarterbacks.
“No guy comes out of college the same these days. How they see the field, what you’re going to try to teach them from a standpoint of your progressions, and I just think as a whole, there’s not enough emphasis put on the organization’s role in the development of the position,” said O’Connell on The Rich Eisen Show in September of 2024. “Meaning, I do believe this. I believe that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations. And that’s not there’s no specific example in my mind that I could give you of a team or a quarterback just overall 30,000 foot view.”
McCarthy has been with the Vikings for two years and has suffered four injuries. Is his lack of availability an issue where O’Connell will see things in a light where the organization hasn’t failed McCarthy? It’s a very interesting question, because missing this much time, while also seeing this much regression with his mechanics and pocket management, is a serious concern moving forward.
There are a lot of questions that the Vikings have moving forward, and seeing UDFA Max Brosmer likely get the start on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks could expedite those to a fever pitch.
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This is a very difficult situation for the Vikings.
