The QB position for the Minnesota Vikings is the central storyline heading into the offseason. While the Vikings appear keen to keep J.J. McCarthy and build on Season 1 as the starting signal-caller, they cannot ignore the red flags: Inconsistency and health.
Nonetheless, the question remains what type of quarterback Minnesota will bring in to back up McCarthy? Will it be a player who’s just a backup or one who can challenge the player for the starting job?
Regardless, “Up & Adams” host Kay Adams sent a strong message on Jan. 6 about the team’s QB situation and what needs to be done this offseason, given its role in the team missing the playoffs.
“I’m not writing J.J. off,” Adams said. “I have questions, and he’s got something to prove a little bit, right? They can’t go into the offseason intent on running it back just because he’s a first-round pick, who everybody really likes in the building. I don’t know. There are a bunch of quarterbacks who are on the move, potentially: Kyler [Murray], Tua [Tagovailoa]. I talked to Kirk Cousins. Could he come back? [Aaron] Rodgers could be available again if he looks this good. Rodgers could be available again. He’s said to be a free agent.
“I would say, if you are the Vikings, you have to. It’s your responsibility to check every open door, every phone call, respond to every text, send them on your own, and they need to really figure it out. They cannot lose another, have another crap season because of the quarterback position. They can’t do it. So, they got to figure that.”
Vikings Appear to Be Sticking With J.J. McCarthy
With the offseason for Minnesota now underway, Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune shared the latest he knows about the Vikings’ plan for the quarterback position after one season with McCarthy as the starter.
“I don’t think you’re going to go out and pay a quarterback market-level money to compete with J.J. McCarthy,” Goessling said during a Jan. 6 appearance on KFAN1003. “If you’re bringing somebody in, it’s somebody who’s going to start. In that case, you’re probably trying to trade J.J. McCarthy and not having that battle back-and-forth.
“If you’re talking about somebody making not market-level money, then that person is not going to necessarily have a claim on the job, which means it is going to be a competition, which means that person that you bring in probably has something of a ceiling.
“So that, I think, would play in McCarthy’s favor. He’s been in the system; I think the hope would be that he continues to develop, continues to mature.”
The Vikings’ Potential Plan at QB This Offseason
Moreover, with Goessling not seeing the Vikings pursuing a QB who can take over the position from McCarthy, he does see the Michigan product as the starter, as Minnesota needs a larger sample size to determine whether they have a franchise QB or need to move on.
“We’ve seen a lot of need for that, but a lot of this will depend on how aggressive they get. And that’s why I think it’s more likely than not that he’s starting, because the other thing is, they understand that this stuff takes a while, and this stuff is not going to be solved in ten starts. But you also have to have some options; he has to be better than he was this year. There’s just no way around.”
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