Vikings might have a J.J. McCarthy problem

Senior Editor
Vikings might have a J.J. McCarthy problem image

The sample size is small.

That means anything that J.J. McCarthy has done so far for the Minnesota Vikings isn't set in stone. The second-year quarterback can still push his career in a positive direction.

But there have also been some early reasons to worry.

ESPN's Ben Solak laid that out in a new article on Tuesday:

"He simply has not played enough football. The product so far is worrisome -- high sack rate, high interception rate and a lengthy time to throw are all indicators of a young passer overwhelmed by NFL speed. Of the six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 class, none has had a stretch as statistically poor or as visibly concerning as McCarthy's 2025 season. But we will tread water on McCarthy for now."

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It's quite amazing that McCarthy went 12th and was already the sixth quarterback taken in 2024.

Ahead of J.J. Were Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. And Bo Nix.

Solak wrote at length about why Penix and Nix, with larger samples, were concerning at this stage, too.

McCarthy gets grouped in because he's looked a lot closer to them than to the three guys at the front.

"It seemed then and still seems in hindsight that the gravity of the top tier yanked the second tier much further up the draft board than it belonged," Solak writes. "The sheer weight of talent shared by Williams, Daniels and Maye anchored quarterback-needy teams in the 2024 draft that so desperately wanted a piece of the action but couldn't trade their way into range. In their frustration, they coped by conjuring value in QB4, QB5 and QB6 that never existed previously."

McCarthy has had a few flashes of brilliance intermingled with a good dose of struggle.

How it all plays out will be crucial for the Vikings, who have an immensely talented roster but may still not have their quarterback.

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Senior Editor