The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for a potential championship season without knowing if they have a quarterback who can rise to that challenge.
J.J. McCarthy is QB1 heading into training camp later this month, though he is just 22 years old and has never taken an NFL snap in a game that counts after missing all of his rookie year due to a knee injury.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic summed up his thoughts on McCarthy on Wednesday, July 2.
“The directive is simple: Take what’s there; no need to be a hero,” Lewis wrote. “Expecting McCarthy to be perfect would be foolish. Thinking he’ll thrive on intermediate routes and anticipatory throws is fair. Most everyone who has spent meaningful time around him raves about him. How he looks will be one of the biggest stories of the NFL season.”
The raving may be justified. It’s purpose may be to pump McCarthy up in his own mind and in the locker room. It may be wishful thinking on the part of the Vikings. Heck, it could be all three.
But general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and offensive guru/head coach Kevin O’Connell have earned the benefit of the doubt after taking the helm of a salary cap-strapped organization with longterm viability questions and driving it into the playoffs twice in three years — with Kirk Cousins under center in Year 1 and Sam Darnold captaining the offense in Year 3.
McCarthy could end up better than both, but he will be far less experienced when he steps onto Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 than either Cousins or Darnold were in their first games under O’Connell — which makes Sam Howell’s presence as QB2 an even more puzzling decision heading into training camp.
Sam Howell Hasn’t Proven Himself Ready to Lead Vikings in J.J. McCarthy’s Absence
GettyQuarterback Sam Howell of the Minnesota Vikings.
Howell is entering his fourth NFL season. He has appeared in 20 games and started 18 of those, with a record of 5-13 and 4,139 passing yards, 22 TDs and 23 INTs to show for it.
The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2022 and is on his third team in four years. Minnesota acquired him from the Seattle Seahawks during the most recent draft via a fifth-round pick swap.
Howell has shown himself to be a tough and fearless thrower of the football and a reasonable quarterback at the professional level. He also profiles like a career backup, though not necessarily one that a team with championship aspirations can lean on in 2025-26 should McCarthy get hurt again or struggle mightily early in the season.
Vikings May Need to Consider Veteran as Backup QB to J.J. McCarthy
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Lewis identified the defining question for Howell and the Vikings this offseason, which is a major one considering that Brett Rypien is the third-string QB heading into training camp, and undrafted free agent Max Brosmer is currently occupying the QB4 position.
“[Howell] can make countless throws,” Lewis wrote. “Decision-making remains the question.”
The presence of wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, as well as tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back Aaron Jones as a pass-catcher out of the backfield should help create easy decisions for anyone lining up under center in Minnesota next year.
But will that be enough to get the Vikings where they want to go, or should they look to reacquire Cousins in a trade or sign someone like Carson Wentz or Ryan Tannehill in free agency on the cheap? Fans should know the team’s position on all of those questions by late August.
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