J.J. McCarthy has not panned out for the Minnesota Vikings and, while it’s still early in his career, there’s a chance he’s already played his last snap with the team. Selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Michigan product entered his rookie offseason as Minnesota’s presumed starter. However, the quarterback suffered a season-ending injury in the offseason, forcing Sam Darnold to start in his place. Darnold performed admirably in his absence, going 14-3 before leading the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl one year later.
With Darnold gone, J.J. McCarthy inherited the starting role in 2025, but didn’t play up to his potential. Starting and appearing in 10 games, McCarthy finished the season with a 6-4 record while completing just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Vikings signed veteran Kyler Murray following this lackluster season, and all reports seem to indicate the former Cardinal will win the starting job. With McCarthy likely relegated to life as a backup, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes Minnesota could trade the young passer to the New York Jets or Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It’s looking increasingly likely that Murray will be QB1 when Minnesota opens the regular season,” Knox writes. “ESPN’s Kevin Seifert recently called Murray the ‘heavy favorite’ to win the QB competition. To be fair, there’s still a chance that McCarthy can claim the Vikings’ starting gig in camp. If he can’t, however, Murray may never relinquish it, and McCarthy may find himself out of opportunities in Minnesota.”
Jets, Steelers Connected to J.J. McCarthy
The New York Jets are arguably the best fit in the league for J.J. McCarthy, as the team needs someone with long-term potential on the roster. As of this posting, veteran Geno Smith is the unquestioned starter heading into the season. While the former and present Jet had some solid seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, he was an unmitigated disaster last year with the Las Vegas Raiders. Additionally, he’s had some off-field issues since re-joining the club. Should he not work out, New York would have no choice but to turn to rookie Cade Klubnik, Brady Cook, or Bailey Zappe.
Outside of Smith, none of these players have done anything promising at the NFL level, and Klubnik is the only one with even the slightest bit of upside. J.J. McCarthy is no sure thing himself, but head coach Aaron Glenn might as well throw as many darts at the board and see what sticks. After all, he probably won’t survive another double-digit loss season.
Crowded QB Room in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been trapped in quarterback purgatory ever since Ben Roethlisberger suffered his season-ending elbow injury in 2019, and 2026 looks to be more of the same. Aaron Rodgers is back, but the four-time NFL MVP is not the same player he was with the Packers. Rodgers is still good enough to start, but he’s likely entering the final year of his career. Someone else will likely be starting in 2026, and the most likely candidates are the players currently on the depth chart.
Mason Rudolph, currently the QB2, has established himself as one of the league’s better backup quarterbacks and a player who can start in short stretches when needed. Will Howard, meanwhile, is a late-round pick who reportedly impressed in practice as a rookie. Third-round pick Drew Allar, meanwhile, is a talented yet rough passer who was in discussions of being a first-round pick at this point last year.
Quite frankly, it’s hard to see where J.J. McCarthy fits into this picture. As it is, Rudolph and Howard are likely fighting for one job, and adding another developmental prospect in McCarthy would only create a logjam at the position.
