Vikings end J.J. McCarthy era

When Jaxson Dart went down and out for the season with a knee injury in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, the New York Giants knew they had suffered a gut punch. At the same time, the Minnesota Vikings smelled an opportunity. They had decided to move on from J.J. McCarthy and they needed a dance partner to take the former Michigan quarterback in a trade.

The Vikings had drafted McCarthy with the No. 10 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. The choice was made by former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and to hear head coach Kevin O’Connell tell it, the Vikings were getting an elite quarterback.

McCarthy had led Michigan to the national championship and he appeared to have the skills and the intangibles that would allow him to become an effective NFL signal caller. However, when he tore his meniscus in his first preseason game, McCarthy missed a full season of development.

McCarthy gave the Vikings false hope

The Vikings believed in him enough to part company with Sam Darnold after he had led the Vikings to a brilliant 14-3 regular season in 2024. McCarthy stumbled and struggled in 2025. He lacked consistency and battled nagging injuries. The Vikings were 4-8 after 12 games and out of the playoff picture. They may have won their last five games of the regular season, but that was just window dressing.

O’Connell lost faith in McCarthy and brought in former Cardinals QB Kyler Murray to “compete” for the QB1 position. Murray was declared the winner early in training camp. When the Vikings made veteran Carson Wentz the No. 2 quarterback, it was clear that McCarthy’s days in Skol Country were coming to an end.

O’Connell and new GM Nolan Teasley did not cut McCarthy because they hoped a team with a QB injury would come calling. That’s just what happened after the Dart injury.

A week later, Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield suffered a dislocated thumb in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Vikings. While the Bucs say Mayfield will miss at least three weeks, it’s not clear if the Vikings offered McCarthy to Tampa Bay.

Vikings failed to create market for disposable QB

It would have been in the Vikings’ interest to create a market for McCarthy. They might have gotten more than a fifth-round selection in the 2027 NFL Draft the Giants were willing to trade to acquire his services.

Many observers think it’s good that the Vikings got at least that much for his services. However, after trading up with the Jets in the 2024 draft to acquire McCarthy’s services, it is clear that the selection of McCarthy was one of the worst draft choices the Vikings have made in the last 10 years.

They also failed to sell his worth to the Giants. A fifth-round draft pick may not even bring a key bench player in the next draft.

The Vikings’ run with McCarthy was an abject failure.