By Matthew SchmidtShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberIt hasn't exactly been an easy season for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who made his debut as the Vikings starter this year after missing his entire rookie campaign due to a knee injury.
Injuries have hampered McCarthy in 2025, as well. He missed five games because of an ankle sprain between Sept. 21 and Oct. 23 and was sidelined this past Sunday while being in concussion protocol.
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McCarthy has played in just six of 12 contests overall, and when he has been on the field, he has struggled, having thrown for 929 yards, six touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 54.1 percent of his passes and posting a 57.9 passer rating.
Remember: Minnesota allowed Sam Darnold to walk via free agency in order to give McCarthy a chance to take the reins this season, and given the way Darnold has been playing in Seattle, that may have been a mistake.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated isn't even entirely sure that McCarthy will be the Vikings' starting quarterback next season and wonders if a competition could be brewing.
..."This doesn’t mean everyone in Minnesota is completely out on McCarthy. It’s just that the Vikings, loaded with accomplished veterans, don’t have leeway to sacrifice a season to quarterback development, and aren’t positioned to just take McCarthy’s lumps with him," Breer wrote. "As such, if things don’t change, I bet there’ll at least be competition arriving in the Twin Cities for McCarthy in the spring and summer."
What does that entail for Minnesota? Does that mean the Vikings will pursue a veteran quarterback to contend with McCarthy in camp? Or will they actually look for another potential franchise player under center?
Whatever the case may be, it's certainly not an easy time in Minnesota right now. The Vikings won 14 games a year ago and still have one of the most stacked rosters in the NFL, particularly at the skill positions with players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason.
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The problem is that Minnesota's quarterback situation has brought the offense to a standstill, and the Vikings are sitting at just 4-8 in the rugged NFC North as a result.
Minnesota selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft and traded up one spot to nab him, so the Vikings have a lot invested in the University of Michigan product. But we'll see how much longer they decide to stick with him.
For more on the Minnesota Vikings and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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