After a few rocky weeks with veteran quarterback Carson Wentz under center, the Minnesota Vikings may have turned the corner this past week with second-year gunslinger J.J. McCarthy returning to the gridiron. The Vikings were able to pull off an impressive win over the division rival Detroit Lions on the road at Ford Field, with McCarthy putting on a show with three total touchdowns.
With McCarthy breathing new life into the Vikings by leading the team to a much-needed win over the Lions to get back to .500 with a record of 4-4, Minnesota could be a frisky team in the NFC moving forward, which prompted questions about whether the team should make some moves ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4.
Vikings Were Active Ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline
GettyMinnesota Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
With Wentz out for the season and McCarthy having played only a handful of games in his career so far, the obvious need is at the quarterback position to get some insurance behind their new face of the franchise, who has dealt with numerous injuries in his short time with the team.
Although the need is there, it doesn’t seem like the Vikings were too intent on making a move ahead of the NFL trade deadline, even though the team’s general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, was making a lot of calls, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell, who said the following to KFAN’s Paul Allen on Tuesday.
“I would say the Whoppers are more on the whiteboard right now with the coaching staff plays more so than me being involved directly right now with any of that stuff,” O’Connell said. “But I know there’s a lot of calls going on. Kwesi and the staff do a great job with that and we’ll see where the day goes.”
Adofo-Mensah is known for making trades ahead of the deadline, as he has done every year since taking the job as general manager in Minnesota, via Purple FTW! Podcast’s X account.
However, for whatever reason, the Vikings brass decided to stand pat and ride out the rest of the season as currently constructed, which could be the right move or might end up coming back to haunt them, especially at the quarterback position, with Max Brosmer sitting behind McCarthy on the depth chart.
Is J.J. McCarthy the Real Deal for the Vikings?
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Over the course of three games played during the 2025 NFL season thus far, McCarthy has shown flashes of brilliance, which is why the Vikings brought him in, but he’s also had some rough moments, showing that he’s still a very young player who needs a lot of polish to reach his true potential.
However, he possesses some admirable qualities that teams seek in their starting quarterback, such as leadership and a no-quit mentality, which is a promising sign that McCarthy can become what the team envisions.
It’s too early to tell if McCarthy truly is the real deal under center in Minnesota. Still, the potential is there, and he’ll have his work cut out for him moving forward, with some tough matchups left on the schedule against the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers (twice), Seattle Seahawks and Lions.
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