A Minnesota Vikings legend does not believe that giving up on quarterback J. J. McCarthy is the answer. Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter believes that the team should still keep McCarthy in the fold, at least for now.
The Michigan product lost the starting job to quarterback Kyler Murray earlier this week. It was a development that caused a rift among the fan base, as the Vikings look for quarterback stability. McCarthy was the starter last season, but injuries and inconsistent play plagued him throughout the course of the year.
Vikings Legend Makes His Case
Now, Carter believes that the Vikings should still give McCarthy a fair shot.
“You have him at a fixed price… It doesn’t make sense to give up on JJ. You still have at least another year if you wanted to that you can manage his salary… there is no other position in the NFL that people reach for and miss than, especially in the first round, than quarterback, and that’s where the Vikings are sitting right now.”
Trade ideas and rumors have been floated around for McCarthy ever since the news of the starting job broke. The quarterback made it clear that he wants to stay a member of the Vikings, as he looks to make the most out of his new role.
Vikings Have Struggled To Develop Quarterbacks
It’s fair to say that the Vikings have failed to develop a quarterback for the past couple of years. Aside from his quarterback development, consistency at the position has been at a premium. It is not all O’Connell’s fault, as this is an organizational issue. However, eight different quarterbacks have played under O’Connell since he took over the organization. Perhaps the biggest name on this list is Kirk Cousins. However, Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullins, and Jaron Hall all played in the 2023 campaign. Sam Darnold played in 2024 before leaving for the Seattle Seahawks.
As far as the current quarterback era is concerned, Murray, McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer are all on the roster. The Vikings are hoping that Murray is the answer for stability at the position.
McCarthy did not exactly have a great season last year. To be fair, he was coming back from a meniscus tear that caused him to miss his entire 2024 season. Even still, he battled injuries and inconsistencies last season. He threw for 1630 yard which ranked him last in the NFL. He had 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and took 27 sacks. The touchdowns were 29th overall in the NFL while the interceptions were 30th.
Metrically, McCarthy did not grade out particularly well. He ranked 35th out of 45 qualified NFL signal-callers with a 60.1 passing grade, per Pro Football Focus. That being said, the Vikings wide receiver room wasn’t the best either. Receivers and tight ends combined for 16 official dropped passes last year. The receiving room finished the year with exactly 16 drops and 16 overall touchdown catches. This contributed to interceptions, as the ball would bounce off the hands of the receivers.
While it’s not necessarily time to give up on McCarthy, it’s going to be hard to justify keeping him in the room. McCarthy has made it clear that he likes Minnesota and wants to stay there, but proper development could make him an attractive quarterback candidate for several teams.
Carter may be right in the sense that the Vikings reached on McCarthy. He has not been shy about his criticism of McCarthy in the past. It seems like he is taking this opportunity to criticize the quarterback even more. Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that McCarthy is a polarizing player.
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