The Minnesota Vikings came into the 2025 season with a bold plan: hand the keys to the offense to second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy and see if he could grow into the franchise cornerstone they envisioned when they drafted him.
After passing on veteran options like Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, the Vikings bet big on youth and upside. But with a 5-8 record heading into Week 15, that gamble hasn’t exactly paid off.
Let’s be clear - McCarthy hasn’t been a total bust. There have been glimpses of why the Vikings were intrigued by his skill set.
He’s shown flashes of athleticism, a live arm, and the kind of competitive fire that coaches love. But flashes don’t win games in the NFL.
Consistency does. And that’s where things have gotten bumpy.
Through seven starts this season, McCarthy has completed just 56% of his passes for 1,092 yards, with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That’s a near-even split between scoring and giveaways - not the kind of ratio that helps a young quarterback settle into a rhythm.
He’s added 139 rushing yards and a pair of scores with his legs, showing some ability to extend plays and make things happen when the pocket breaks down. But overall, the learning curve has been steep.
Injuries haven’t helped. McCarthy has missed time, which has only slowed his development. And when he has been on the field, the results have been mixed at best.
Vikings Hall of Famer Cris Carter recently weighed in on McCarthy’s progress, and he didn’t hold back. Carter, who’s always had a pulse on the state of the franchise, pointed to some technical concerns that are holding the young QB back.
“I’m not a quarterback guru,” Carter said, “but I do listen to everything that KOC [Kevin O’Connell] says there in Minnesota. It’s inconsistency in the pocket, footwork being erratic - throwing off his front foot and his plant foot coming off the ground.
Lack of variance in the throws between intermediate, hot, and long range. He only has one speed, and that’s a fastball.
That’s always going to be a problem.”
That’s a pretty specific breakdown, and it lines up with what we’ve seen on tape. McCarthy’s arm talent is real - he can zip it - but he hasn’t yet figured out how to change speeds or throw with touch.
That’s a critical part of quarterbacking at this level. You can’t just throw 95 mph every time and expect it to work.
NFL defenses are too fast and too smart.
Still, Carter wasn’t all doom and gloom. He made it clear that McCarthy is in a good developmental environment under head coach Kevin O’Connell, who has a strong reputation for working with quarterbacks.
“I think he’s in good hands,” Carter added. “He’s working on his fundamentals, and they were significantly better [Sunday].
His performance was significantly better. But can you do that under duress, playing against a top defense like Detroit, Green Bay, Chicago, Philadelphia?
That’s when it will be proven out.”
That’s the real test. It’s one thing to show improvement in a clean pocket or against a middling defense.
It’s another to keep your mechanics intact and make smart decisions when the pass rush is in your face and the windows are tight. That’s where McCarthy still has a lot to prove.
The Vikings now find themselves in a familiar spot - evaluating whether they’ve got their quarterback of the future or if it’s time to go back to the drawing board. The next few weeks could offer more clarity, but don’t be surprised if Minnesota explores adding competition at the position this offseason.
For now, McCarthy’s story is still being written. The tools are there. The question is whether he can put it all together - and do it consistently - in a league that doesn’t wait long for quarterbacks to figure it out.