NFL Has Little Faith in JJ McCarthy

There are few keys bigger to the success of the Minnesota Vikings this season than the play of JJ. McCarthy. The new signal caller will be under a microscope from the first snap. It’s on him to lead Minnesota back to the playoffs and beyond.

Despite Kevin O’Connell providing a proof of concept last season with Sam Darnold as a castoff quarterback, the league clearly doesn’t believe in the Michigan product. Forget the fact that McCarthy has won everywhere he has been. I guess it’s still not enough.

Stock report way down on Minnesota Vikings JJ McCarthy

It was always going to be a doubt until proven otherwise situation for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. I’m not sure anyone could have predicted this much doubt though. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe provided a Week 1 stock watch ranking NFL quarterbacks, and McCarthy’s positioning isn’t pretty.

Yeah, so the positioning is bad, but it’s more bad because of what the perception is. Without understanding the chasm between McCarthy and Flacco, the proximity of their ranking is problematic. It would be catastrophic for Minnesota to have a quarterback that looks anything like the corpse of Joe Flacco, or something similar to Spencer Rattler.

The reality though, is that McCarthy’s positioning feels poor because the expectations should be so much higher. Forget the fact that Michigan relied on the running game. It doesn’t matter that McCarthy missed his first season due to a knee injury.

A greater reality is that he’s ready now, and there’s no reason he can’t vault a significant amount of quarterbacks ranked ahead of him. Sam Darnold is 14th on the list, which is similar to what Kirk Cousins would have been at his peak with the Vikings.

Related: QB Expert Would Take JJ McCarthy Over Everyone

There is no reason to believe that McCarthy can’t achieve that water mark. Can he be better than Brock Purdy (10th) in a superior offense? Sure. Baker Mayfield and his reclamation tour rank 8th. Somehow Jordan Love is considered the 6th quarterback entering the year. There are a lot of passable quarterbacks on the list.

JJ McCarthy can go prove it for the MN Vikings

Of course if any of that is going to take place, then McCarthy must perform. Minnesota brought back Adam Thielen to give their quarterback another weapon. He will be valuable both while Jordan Addison serves his suspension and beyond.

The deep pass from JJ McCarthy to Aaron Jones pic.twitter.com/jFporgofC3

— Sean Borman (@SeanBormanNFL) August 14, 2025

This season is a big year for T.J. Hockenson. There should be opportunity for him to re-establish himself as a top-tier tight end across the league. The running game should also be among the best Minnesota has seen in recent seasons. Jordan Mason’s infusion is a big one, and the offensive lined has been reworked.

Related: Academic Struggles Nearly Cost MN Vikings Superstar His Shine

For months we have heard nothing but talk about what the expectations or results could look like for J.J. McCarthy. On Monday night against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, we’ll get our first answers as to where things actually stand.