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J.J. McCarthy Gets His Marching Orders
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- J.J. McCarthy Gets His Marching Orders
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Current QB1 J.J. McCarthy has been a flop so far. Not a bust — not yet, at least — but someone who has struggled.
Accordingly, Minnesota is soon to enhance the passer competition. Anything less than a minimum of one competent passer would be football malpractice. Good chance, though, that the Vikings opt for two quarterbacks . Kevin O'Connell is hoping that direct, head-to-head competition gets the best out of the kid who was drafted at No. 10 in the 2024 NFL Draft. Minnesota's top coach acknowledged as much while articulating where Mr. McCarthy needs to go in a recent interview with Paul Allen and Pete Bercich.
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J.J. McCarthy Gets Next Steps from KOC
Over on the team website , Craig Peters discusses the matter while relaying the words from O'Connell and Rob Brzezinski (the full interview is on YouTube ).
First, note Coach O'Connell's acknowledgement that McCarthy is "hungry" and that he's working through a "big offseason." Basically, bland football lingo that seldom means much; except, of course, that they happen to be true for McCarthy.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) scrambles during first-half action against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Dec. 14, 2025. McCarthy moved outside the pocket to extend the play as Minnesota searched for rhythm on the road in the early stages of the matchup. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images.
There's then some clarity about what J.J. McCarthy is doing.
The word: "He's out in California right now working with John Beck and some of the guys that he worked with pre-draft, very detailed in what he wanted to decompress after the season and go through layer by layer: 'What do I need to individually work on to make sure I come back ready to roll in April?' He's working on those things."
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Some more insight: "His continued growth in our offense and schemes will be a natural thing. He's a really smart player. I think he's going to be able to use a lot of that experience of those 10 games in the journey so far to get himself in position to have the best 2026 he can. We've talked about it, we want him to be in a competitive situation because of some of that time lost."
Another thought before extracting some ideas: "We've really got to push the gas pedal down and not replace development and coaching and teaching with anything but really enhance it with a really competitive situation that I think our whole team will benefit from. [We're] pretty early in that process, but I'm excited about it."
Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) slaps hands with Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell after a made field goal against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images.
Digest what's being said.
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J.J. McCarthy hasn't been good enough but he now has ten games of NFL experience. As a result, there's a foundation to build on as it relates to his development. See what worked and continue doing those things; see what didn't and find a solution. Mastering the scheme will result from more time chipping away.
On a literal level of where he is, McCarthy is in California working with a private quarterback coach. Think back to the in-season chatter about sanding off the rough edges of McCarthy's mechanics. Consider, as well, the chatter about the kid developing his pitching arsenal beyond just a nice four-seam fastball. Gotta assume those same items are being addressed.
Likewise, there's great merit in the idea that Coach O'Connell expresses: competition in the quarterback room not about replacing J.J. McCarthy. Rather, inserting high-end competition is being seen as a key component of developing the passer. The possibility — threat? — of replacement should push the quarterback to be better.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy drops back to pass at U.S. Bank Stadium as the offense sets during the second quarter, with the pocket forming around him and receivers working downfield. The scene unfolded on Nov. 9, 2025 in Minneapolis during Minnesota's matchup with Baltimore, capturing McCarthy mid-read in live game action. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
So, here is what is being told to J.J. McCarthy, more or less:
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The beginning of your career hasn't gone as anyone hoped. A major part of the issue has been injury, which is unfortunate. Take these comings months to build your body as you work away with a respected quarterback coach. Get better. Learn how to layer throws. Fix your mechanics. Be accurate.
When you come back, you'll be sharing the room with someone who is coming for your starting job. Understand that we see the intensity of the competition as the next step in your development as we guard against what happened last year. We still believe in you and want you to be our long-term passer. Accept the challenge for what it is as you elevate.
Prove us right.
J.J. McCarthy, 23, is a great athlete who can zip the ball. Even better, he's a leader who works hard and who has some charisma. There's fire in him that will help him in the upcoming competition.
McCarthy, in short, has much to work with as he marches toward being under center in Week 1 of the 2026 season.
