Kevin O'Connell on J.J. McCarthy's Big Offseason, Key Vikings Free Agents

So far this offseason, Kevin O'Connell has not come out and said he wants J.J. McCarthy to be the Vikings' starting quarterback in 2026. The message has instead been about having a competitive QB room that makes everyone better. After immense struggles in his debut season, whether or not O'Connell still views McCarthy as a franchise quarterback is unclear.

But the Vikings also aren't giving up on the former No. 10 overall pick. He's shown too many flashes of upside for that. He's too inexperienced for that, having made only ten starts last season. No matter who the Vikings end up bringing into their quarterback room, this is a critical offseason for McCarthy, as O'Connell told KFAN's Paul Allen at the NFL combine in Indianapolis this week.

"The starting point is, outside of some bumps and bruises here, he's gonna have a healthy offseason," O'Connell said. "Obviously, with his journey up until this point, he's gotten ten starts where we've been able to see a lot of the things that we really liked about J.J. when we drafted him, we've seen some growth, we've seen some of that development time over time. But we're still talking about quite a few opportunities of that development phase and growth phase missed. So he knows it's a big offseason for him. He didn't need anybody to tell him that. He certainly didn't need me to tell him that."

A full, healthy NFL offseason will be a first for McCarthy. Two years ago, coming off a national championship at Michigan, he was busy preparing for the draft, then had about four months with the Vikings before a meniscus tear in his preseason debut ended his rookie campaign prematurely. That meant a rehab and recovery process that bled into the spring of 2025. This time, there should be no injury obstacles for McCarthy. His focus can be solely on getting better.

J.J. McCarthy | Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"What I've really enjoyed about our conversations early on is he is hungry," O'Connell said. "He's out in California right now working with (QB coach) John Beck and some of the guys that he worked with pre-draft. He really wanted to decompress after the season, really go through, layer by layer, OK, what do I need to individually work on to make sure that I come back and I'm ready to roll in April. And he's working on those things.

"His continued growth in our offense and in our schemes will be a natural thing. He's a really smart player. I think he's gonna be able to use a lot of that experience of those ten games and the journey so far to give himself a position to have the best 2026 he can. And we've talked about it, we want him to be in a competitive situation because of some of that time lost. We've really gotta push the gas pedal down. Not replace development and coaching and teaching with anything, but enhance it with a competitive situation that I think our whole team will benefit from."

The caliber of quarterback the Vikings bring in at some point will determine whether McCarthy has a realistic chance to remain their starter this year. Certain QBs that could be out there would almost certainly come in and assume the starting role. Others would turn the dynamic into a true competition over the course of the offseason. But whether it's in 2026 or 2027, and whether it's Minnesota or elsewhere, McCarthy will get another opportunity to show what he can become in the NFL. All he can do right now is work towards making sure he makes the most of that opportunity.

O'Connell talks Vikings' free agents

Among other highlights from his conversation with Allen, O'Connell was asked about a few of the Vikings' most notable in-house free agents. Here's what he had to say.

On LB Eric Wilson:

"What he did (last season) was spectacular. He was one of our most consistent players. Did so much for our team. Versatile, consistently showing up every single week, doing different jobs but playing at a really high level and demonstrating a lot of those things from a play style standpoint. He's incredibly smart, he's a guy that loves playing the game of football. He makes your team better, he makes your building better.

"I know I speak for everyone in our organization when (I say) we're excited about the possibility of bringing Eric Wilson back, but obviously we're not the only ones that watched his tape from last year. It'll be competitive. Ultimately, what we're gonna try to do is what's best for our organization, and hopefully that means Eric Wilson's a part of it."

On WR Jalen Nailor:

"It's a great example of player development. Jalen Nailor's a guy that's been the ultra example of what you can be in this league when you consistently attack getting better, you have the skill set that Jalen has, which is as a complete receiver. Once again, another player that you know we're not the only ones watching the tape. We feel incredibly strong about what Speedy's been able to do in our building, and we'll see how these next few weeks play out."

On QB Carson Wentz:

"He absolutely is a guy that made our quarterback room better, even with his late arrival, and definitely somebody we're thinking about."