With the Minnesota Vikings firing general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Jan. 30, there are several question marks surrounding the future of QB J.J. McCarthy. Adofo-Mensah used a first-round pick and saw Sam Darnold leave to allow McCarthy to be the starter, but that decision brought mixed results.
After a 14-win season with Sam Darnold in 2024, the Vikings took a major step back in 2025 with J.J. McCarthy. With the team aiming to compete immediately, the bigger question is whether the front office is looking for a quarterback who can help them win now.
As a result, the question is whether McCarthy could be available for the right price. WFAN’s Evan Roberts floated the idea that the New York Jets should consider asking Minnesota about McCarthy if the Vikings are open to trading him this offseason.
“While I’m not the biggest J.J. McCarthy fan, I don’t know who is at this point, but he’s a winner,” Roberts said in a video posted by WFAN on Jan. 30. “He won in college, and he’s also young. He’s also not fully damaged goods. You know what I mean? Yes. He hasn’t really gotten the full opportunity.
“So what pick would I trade? I’m not trading one of my ones. I don’t think I need to either. I think a third‑round pick would get it done. I would be very intrigued by that. And again I say that as someone that isn’t even high on J. J. McCarthy, but it goes back to your point of, what are the other options right now [for the Jets]?”
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Under Pressure
Moreover, CBS Sports listed seven quarterbacks who have the most to prove in 2026. NFL analyst Ran Carthon believes that McCarthy not needing to rehab this offseason could prove helpful for him heading into his third season in the NFL, should the Vikings decide to give him one last opportunity to show he’s their franchise QB.
However, Carthon still expects the Vikings to bring in a QB that can take advantage of a team that wants to win now, should McCarthy stumble.
“For J.J. McCarthy and for the Minnesota Vikings, for that matter, this offseason is going to be critical because J.J. is going to need to approach this offseason from the standpoint of being able to work on his game and not have to be rehabbing an injury,” Carthon said during a Jan. 21 appearance on CBS Sports HQ. “So this is going to be really key for him.
“I do believe that the Minnesota Vikings will have a backup plan in terms of a veteran quarterback to bring in there because this team is too good a team to sit and wait for this guy to develop, because you’re going to miss the primes of a lot of really good players that they have on offense and defense.”
Minnesota Urged to Find Veteran QB
This past season, McCarthy had a passer rating of 72.6 with 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games for the Vikings, per StatMuse.
On the Jan. 20 edition of “Up & Adams,” former Vikings pass-catcher Kyle Rudolph believes that Minnesota need to bring in a quarterback who can compete with McCarthy.
“I think they have to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with J.J. I think it’s a big mistake that they made last year, just handing over the reins and not having a veteran to compete with them,” Rudolph said. “There certainly were a few options, one of which is playing this weekend in the NFC Championship game. Another one, in Daniel Jones, was in the locker room last year.
“I’m a huge fan of and absolutely love his game. And this doesn’t mean that J.J. can’t be your quarterback of the future, but just handing him over a Super Bowl caliber roster and saying, ‘Okay, go for it,’ and not having a veteran that is in that room and competing against them, I ultimately think that you’re not setting him up for success.”
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