The most disappointing thing about the Minnesota Vikings' 2025 season has been the play of quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Of course, the Vikings being 4-8 and all but out of playoff contention stinks, but Vikings fans could live with that if McCarthy was playing good football.
The sad truth is that, outside of a few moments, McCarthy has not looked like a viable starting quarterback, and that's a huge problem for the Vikings moving forward.
McCarthy has been so bad that The Athletic's Alec Lewis believes that it's pretty much a certainty that the Michigan product will be competing for his job with a veteran quarterback in 2026.
"At this point, though, it’s doubtful that even the most optimistic outcome of the five-game sample will sway the Vikings from shopping in that all-too-familiar aisle," he wrote. "With O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah entering their fifth season without a playoff win, and with superstar receiver Justin Jefferson’s frustrations increasing, the Vikings are going to need insurance at quarterback — someone to compete with McCarthy, at the bare minimum."
After what we've seen of McCarthy this season, if he goes up against a competent veteran signal-caller in a competition, he's going to lose.
Lewis adds that one NFC scout told him that 2026 won't be "a good year to be needing a quarterback," so that's not great for the Vikings.
There will be options, though.
The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kyler Murray appear likely to part ways in 2026, but the Vikings would have to trade for him and absorb at least some of his massive contract.
The good news is, Murray doesn't have any guaranteed money on the deal after 2026, so there isn't a long-term commitment there.
Another potential option will be San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones, who has managed to revive his career but is stuck behind starting quarterback Brock Purdy.
As a result, it's conceivable the Niners could do right by Jones and trade him to a team that gives him a chance to start. On the flip side, it's also possible San Fran wants to keep Jones as an insurance policy just in case Purdy gets hurt.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones is another possible option, although all signs point to Indy extending him at some point and chances are Jones would prefer to stay put in the same place that he turned his career around.
While the quarterback market remains murky with so much time left in this season, one thing that isn't murky is the Vikings need to, at the very least, bring in some competition for McCarthy in 2026.
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