Familiar Face May Answer MN Vikings QB Problems

To say that things have gone poorly for J.J. McCarthy would be putting it lightly. After the Minnesota Vikings felt confident enough to draft him in the first round, he has spent more time injured than he has developing.

Now working through the concussion protocol and unlikely to play on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, it’s the Max Brosmer show. Short of the former Minnesota Gophers quarterback playing lights out, a new direction will probably will be needed next year.

That new direction might just wind up being a chance to right the wrong of their 2025 offseason.

Daniel Jones on the Vikings radar

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings brought Daniel Jones in after he was cut loose by the New York Giants. He learned a ton, and after the year the team wanted him back. He wasn’t going to start though, and that made his decision easy. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says that Minnesota might be looking to reverse course in 2026.

A few people inside the league I’ve spoken to wonder whether Minnesota can follow the Colts’ blueprint from this past offseason, bringing in a veteran/reclamation project to compete with McCarthy and potentially start — similar to Daniel Jones vs. Anthony Richardson Sr. in Indy.

The funny thing about that scenario is Jones would be an ideal fit in Minnesota, where he backed up Sam Darnold last season. But as the top free agent quarterback, he will score a sizable deal in Indianapolis or elsewhere. Still, the Vikings really liked Jones, and their situation this offseason will be far different than the one from a year ago. Making a play for Jones would give him multiple options to consider.

Jeremy Fowler – ESPN

Rather than being 4-7, the Minnesota Vikings could have been a competitive team had they simply told Jones he was going to be the guy. In that scenario, McCarthy would have needed to beat out a veteran after spending his entire rookie season injured while getting zero reps.

It always seemed logical that Jones could thrive in an ideal environment, which is what Minnesota presented for 14-game winner Sam Darnold. Now in a good environment, Jones has the Colts owning an 8-3 record with a 69.1 completion rate and a 17/7 TD/INT.

Minnesota got cute thinking they had the perfect plan for McCarthy, while both quarterbacks they already employed were more perfect answers for them. Darnold’s payday didn’t need to be met, but Jones was definitely the right answer. Maybe they’ll fix the problem next season.

Not just Jones or bust for Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings spent a boatload of money this offseason. The intention was for the roster to win immediately. Unfortunately the problem was that McCarthy was never positioned to get them there. Fowler sees other stopgap quarterbacks capable of stopping a long term rebuild too.

Rodgers wanted to be a Viking last year and will also be a free agent, and the Vikings kept tabs on Joe Flacco’s free agency last spring, and he has been effective for multiple teams in recent years. He could be a sensible fallback plan. Arizona’s Kyler Murray could become available should the Cardinals decide to start fresh at the position, too. His chances to play again this season are seemingly becoming slimmer by the week.

Jeremy Fowler – ESPN

It’d be disappointing to see the answer be Joe Flacco, even though he’s currently unquestionably better than McCarthy despite battling Father Time. Aaron Rodgers tried to will his way into purple, and that could be a reality next year again. Kyler Murray would be among the most expensive options, but he too is a step up.

Regardless, Kevin O’Connell took a hit to his reputation this season by tying his wagon to a quarterback he couldn’t elevate. There won’t be much of an appetite to miss again.