The Minnesota Vikings are heading into the 2026 offseason in a bit of a pickle. The QB position is a question mark yet again, and the world is waiting to see how Minnesota handles it.
Of course, on the roster is J.J. McCarthy. 2025 was technically a pseudo-rookie season for the kid, but he is technically heading into year 3. Going into the third year, he has only played in 10 out of a possible 35 games, including playoffs.
Even if you take out the injury that sidelined him for the 2024 season, he would be near this number anyway. Still, his injuries happened, and they’re concerning. Should Minnesota be comfortable with just naming him the starter in 2026?
Only they hold that answer, but everyone else has the freedom to weigh in on it. That’s exactly what Pro Football Focus did in a recent piece.
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Gets Blunt Take from PFF
GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 04: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Pro Football Focus recently posted an assessment of the QB situations of all 32 NFL teams.
Consider their explanation of the rankings in their own words.
“The most consequential conversations in the NFL always circle back to the quarterback position. Every offseason, the same questions shape the league’s direction: Who has their guy? Who’s still searching? And who’s one bad season away from joining that search?
Here, we rank all 32 NFL teams by their level of quarterback need entering the 2026 offseason. These rankings are informed by on-field performance, with free agency and the draft serving as realistic solutions throughout.”
It is a tiered ranking, going from “elite” like Buffalo and Baltimore, down to “nothing else matters” like the Las Vegas Raiders, who will likely be selecting Fernando Mendoza with the first overall selection in April.
The Vikings found themselves in the “young QB under evaluation” tier. Consider PFF’s reasoning for the fair ranking. They had just finished discussing the small sample size for Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr., who is in the same tier.
“If the sample size for Penix is small, it’s even smaller for J.J. McCarthy, who has just 310 career dropbacks. While no quarterback was memed more in 2025, only one passer — Matthew Stafford — posted a higher big-time throw rate than McCarthy.
Early returns suggest a Jameis Winston–type profile, but with McCarthy essentially entering his second season as a rookie, the Vikings simply need to see more before making any long-term decision.”
Minnesota is Indeed in “Wait-and-See” Mode with McCarthy
Getty(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
At the least, the Vikings are primed to add some veteran competition for McCarthy on to the roster in March. Whether that is Mac Jones, or even Carson Wentz on a new deal, remains to be seen.
The Vikings have been rumored to make a big splash, with the shaky situation surrounding Joe Burrow making him a popular subject of reckless internet speculation. This is, of course, not likely to happen whatsoever. However, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are going into year 5 and have no playoff wins.
There is no doubt that a big move could be on the horizon at QB for the Vikings, for the sake of a couple key figure’s employment status. This may sacrifice the time that McCarthy needs to develop, if it’s going to be in Minnesota.
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Gets Blunt Evaluation