Vikings may move on from JJ McCarthy

The Minnesota Vikings have made it fairly clear that they intend to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with JJ McCarthy. A new report suggests, however, that they might get rid of McCarthy entirely before the start of next season.

The Vikings are ready to “move on” from McCarthy after just two seasons, according to Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports. The quarterback the Vikings bring in will likely be McCarthy’s eventual replacement, not his competition.

If true, the Vikings have pretty much lost all faith in McCarthy very quickly. He made ten underwhelming starts for them in 2025, throwing for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. While the team went 6-4 in those starts, the wins were largely down to their defense more than anything McCarthy did.

Still, it is highly uncommon for an NFL team to give up on a top-10 pick so quickly. On the other hand, based on some of the stories we have heard about McCarthy, it is no huge surprise that coach Kevin O’Connell would want a more trustworthy option at quarterback.

The Vikings have frequently been named as a possible landing spot for a lot of quarterbacks already this offseason. Whoever they add may well be the favorite to start going forward.