{"id":256725,"date":"2025-11-29T13:00:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T18:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=256725"},"modified":"2025-11-29T06:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T11:31:13","slug":"vikings-rumors-4-quarterbacks-that-could-replace-j-j-mccarthy-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/11\/29\/vikings-rumors-4-quarterbacks-that-could-replace-j-j-mccarthy-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings Rumors: 4 Quarterbacks That Could Replace J.J. McCarthy In 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has not had a promising start to his career. After missing his rookie season with an injury, the quarterback made two underwhelming starts before suffering a high-ankle sprain. While he returned to the field, he continued to disappoint and will now miss Week 13’s action with a concussion. He’s been historically inefficient<\/a>, ranking 851st out of 852 quarterbacks in EPA\/play since 2000, and he can’t stay on the field.<\/p>\n

Vikings Rumors: 4 Quarterbacks That Could Replace J.J. McCarthy In 2026<\/h2>\n

It’s too early to give up on a first-round pick like J.J. McCarthy after just six starts, but the Vikings should have a better Plan B in 2025 than a washed-up Carson Wentz and an untested Max Brosmer<\/a>. Assuming Brosmer doesn’t set the world on fire against the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota will probably be in the market for a high-end backup who could start if McCarthy continues to disappoint. While they probably won’t draft anyone, they could pursue the following four players.<\/p>\n

Note: For the sake of this article, we will assume Daniel Jones returns to the Indianapolis Colts in 2026, either via the franchise tag or a long-term extension.<\/em><\/p>\n

Main Photo: Mark Hoffman – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Spencer Rattler\/Tyler Shough<\/h3>\n

The New Orleans Saints have one of the least-talented rosters in football, but they’re actually in a decent position at the quarterback position. Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough<\/a> have both shown promise throughout the young season despite playing with a subpar supporting cast, and both players look like they should be high-end backups or low-ceiling starters for years on end.<\/p>\n

While they’re not active liabilities by any stretch of the imagination, they’re probably not good enough to stop New Orleans from using their first-round pick on a quarterback. If the season ended today, the Saints would have the third-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. If the Saints draft a quarterback, the Vikings should be able to trade for either Rattler or Shough, and both veterans are more than capable of providing competition for J.J. McCarthy.<\/p>\n

\"Chasing
Nov 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Mac Jones<\/h3>\n

Mac Jones proved during his time with the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars that he’s not good enough to succeed in a bad environment. However, his time with the San Francisco 49ers shows he is good enough to be productive in the right scheme. Filling in for Brock Purdy<\/a>, the former first-round pick has completed 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions while guiding the team to a 5-3 record. He won’t win the MVP any time soon, but he should find success with a good offensive mind in Kevin O’Connell and a great collection of pass-catching talent highlighted by Justin Jefferson.<\/p>\n

If Jones were a free agent, he might be the top name on this list. However, the 49ers have him under contract for the 2026 season, so Minnesota would have to trade for his services. Seeing as several quarterback-needy teams could be pursuing his services, the Vikings probably won’t be willing to outbid the competition for a quarterback they would hope never sees the field.<\/p>\n

\"49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) celebrates with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) after scoring a touchdown during a week 9 game between New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Joe Flacco<\/h3>\n

Despite being in the league for almost two decades, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco says he wants to play<\/a> in 2026. The former Super Bowl MVP is not the player he once was, but his time with the Bengals proved he can still sling it to a star receiver. Despite battling through injuries, the longtime veteran finished his run as Cincinnati’s starter with 1,636 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions.<\/p>\n

Flacco may not have 17 games of high-level play in his system anymore, but he’s great in short doses and isn’t afraid to heavily target his great wide receivers. Justin Jefferson is having a down year, but a quarterback like Flacco could bring him back to elite form in 2026. If nothing else, his veteran experience might help J.J. McCarthy develop into something close to what the Vikings envisioned in 2024.<\/p>\n

\"Joe
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) walks off the field as the Bengals turn the ball over on down in the final drive of the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. The Bengals fall to 3-8 with a 26-20 loss at home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Aaron Rodgers<\/h3>\n

It’s time to fulfill the prophecy. Aaron Rodgers no longer plays at an MVP level, but he is still a starting-caliber quarterback with some juice left in his tank. The Brett Favre comparisons are obvious, but there are legitimate reasons for the Vikings to pursue the four-time NFL MVP.<\/p>\n

For one, he’s still a good quarterback. Despite playing in a poor scheme and only having one real weapon in D.K. Metcalf<\/a>, the quarterback has completed 66.4% of his passes for 1,969 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions during his 10 healthy starts. This level of play should propel an otherwise-stacked Vikings roster to the playoffs. As an added bonus, he’s a free agent, so Minnesota won’t have to forfeit a draft pick for his services. While the 42-year-old isn’t a long-term fix, he’s a great short-term option that could bring this team on a deep playoff run.<\/p>\n

\"Aaron
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) scrambles away from Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Myles Murphy (99) in the second quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. The Steelers led 10-6 at halftime.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

J.J. McCarthy is having a disastrous season with the Minnesota Vikings, and the team could look for a replacement in the upcoming offseason<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":256726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,7,28,9,31],"tags":[32358,7659],"class_list":["post-256725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-bengals","category-saints","category-steelers","category-49ers","tag-j-j-mccarthy","tag-saints-featured"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256725"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256727,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256725\/revisions\/256727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}