NFL analyst predicts Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback, and it speaks volumes about the future

Going back to the previous era of Vikings football is not what anybody truly wants.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell talks with quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) during the first half at Soldier Field.
Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The quarterback position is a tough one for the Minnesota Vikings. They invested a top-10 pick into J.J. McCarthy thinking he was the answer at quarterback for the next 10-15 years. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case over the last two seasons.

He has played in just 10 of a possible 35 games and, while he showed flashes of brilliance, McCarthy ranked at the bottom of the league in multiple advanced metrics. Among the quarterbacks who had 275 passing snaps this season, McCarthy finished:

  • 35th in EPA/play
  • 34th in success rate
  • 36th in completion percentage
  • 33rd in expected completion percentage
  • 36th in completion percentage over expected

ESPN analyst predicts Kirk Cousins to be starting Vikings quarterback in 2026

The big question still surrounds who will be the next starting quarterback with the Vikings. ESPN’s Seth Walder believes that the player will be Kirk Cousins.

“The Vikings managed 14 wins in 2024 with a quarterback (Darnold) who ranked only 14th in QBR. While they won’t always have a defense as dominant as that team had, I have to imagine Minnesota is hankering for palatable quarterback play.

“J.J. McCarthy’s performance last season did not indicate he could deliver it. Given how Minnesota let its known quantity in Darnold walk out the door in favor of McCarthy, I suspect coach Kevin O’Connell will want to go back to known, solid production. And Cousins represents that. The veteran quarterback was playing some of the best ball of his career with the Vikings in 2023 before suffering an Achilles injury. Cousins wasn’t the same with Atlanta, though he did play well at the end of last season.

“The Falcons are expected to release Cousins. Once they do, the Vikings might take him back.”

Bringing Cousins back in a vacuum isn’t a bad decision. He is at the end of his career and can give the Vikings a sense of stability at the position. However, it’s not in a vacuum. Cousins was arguably the most controversial player in recent Vikings history.

Bringing back Cousins would signal a step backward after intentionally moving on from him after the 2023 season. It’s a tough sell for the fanbase to make that kind of move, but head coach Kevin O’Connell is on the hot seat after a 9-8 season.

There will be two days of free agency where things could change, as Cousins is going to be released on the first day of the league year. It is two weeks until that day, meaning a lot can change, but adding Cousins would send all the wrong signals.

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