The Minnesota Vikings believed they could get to the next level with a dynamic quarterback. As a result, they chose to move on from both Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold, instead choosing to go forward with J.J. McCarthy.
However, after a disastrous 2025 campaign, they have now shifted their focus to Kyler Murray. McCarthy, though, has still gotten reps in the preseason. Unfortunately, they haven’t done much to restore his confidence.
J.J. McCarthy Isn’t Cut Out for the Vikings
Setting aside the injury concerns that have limited him to just 10 games played in his first two seasons, the numbers for McCarthy have been far from stellar. Last year, he tallied 1,632 passing yards and 11 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
He was a factor on the ground as well, rushing for 181 yards and four touchdowns. But it wasn’t nearly enough for the Vikings, as they ended up missing the playoffs entirely. After they signed Murray in free agency this summer, McCarthy’s end seemed inevitable.
Before preseason got underway, head coach Kevin O’Connell made the decision official, but the Michigan product has continued to get reps in the preseason. In Week 1, he completed 4 of 7 passing attempts for 34 yards.
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He wasn’t much better against the Baltimore Ravens either, as he completed just 5 of his 10 passing attempts for 81 yards. While the evening had some sensational highlights, he also missed some easy layups, right in line with his 2025 campaign, which ranked him as the fifth-worst-ranked quarterback in the league on PFN’s QB Impact Metric.
As a result, Ian Cummings of PFN was ready to shut the door on his career as a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. Breaking down on PFN’s “Football Debate Club” what he’d seen through the preseason, the draft expert had reached a verdict.
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“Largely ineffective in his first preseason game, and the struggles continued in Week 2 of preseason against the Baltimore Ravens,” Cummings said. “Ultimately, in my opinion, it’s a continuation of what we already knew. The J.J. McCarthy experiment is long since past. It’s over.”
Going a step further, Cummings added, “I don’t know if there’s a ton of preexisting starting potential left with him. I think he’ll benefit most from a change of scenery. But right now, he’s struggling to string together even positive reps one-on-one, and that’s a problem for a QB with starting aspirations.”
“It’s over.”@IC_Draft believes J.J. McCarthy doesn’t have much NFL starting QB potential left. 😬
Is it time for a change of scenery? https://t.co/XxblwXoFMj pic.twitter.com/kco8Iw3t7G
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) August 22, 2026
It remains to be seen if McCarthy can turn things around. But for the time being, it seems unlikely that he’s coming anywhere near the starting job for the Vikings.
To make matters worse, with a disappointing preseason, there is also a possibility that the team decides to move forward with Carson Wentz in the QB2 role instead of him.
