O'Connell avoids question about J.J. McCarthy's future as Vikings' QB1

In the aftermath of the Vikings' season-ending win over the Packers on Sunday, Kevin O'Connell was asked the question that will dominate the offseason in Minnesota.

Are you comfortable going into next year with J.J. McCarthy as your starter?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, O'Connell avoided a direct answer to that question. Because of McCarthy's injuries and overall poor performance in his first season as the Vikings' starting quarterback, all options will likely be on the table this offseason. At the same time, McCarthy turns 23 this month and has shown plenty of intriguing flashes in his first ten NFL starts, so he probably remains the favorite to be Minnesota's QB1 in Week 1 of 2026.

"I think every year, you're coming back to build a team throughout the offseason, throughout the draft, leading into training camp," O'Connell said. "I think he's improved throughout the season. I think he's grown, like a lot of young quarterbacks do. Today was his tenth start. I can't wait to work with him in the offseason and absolutely look forward to the continued development and improvement.

"I'm excited about where he's ending the season and know that there's some things we can really dive into as a group, J.J. and myself. I look forward to the challenge of being the best version of myself for not only J.J., but this entire team."

That non-answer, while perhaps not surprising, feels at least somewhat notable. O'Connell could've said something along the lines of "we're going to take things day by day this offseason but yes, I would be comfortable with J.J. as our starter in 2026." How much we should read into the specific way he answered the question is open to interpretation.

J.J. McCarthy — Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Vikings fans got the full McCarthy experience in Sunday's win over the Packers. He made some great throws and showed flashes of his talent and upside. He also made some poor decisions, missed a few open targets, and exited the game early because the pain in his injured right hand became too much to play through.

McCarthy finishes his first season of play having appeared in 10 games, but he exited early or played through some sort of injury in four or five of those. He completed 140 of 243 passes (57.6 percent) for 1,632 yards with 11 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 4 rushing TDs. Yet for all of his struggles with turnovers and inaccuracy, the Vikings went 6-4 in his 10 starts and 3-4 when he didn't play.

As the offseason begins, the Vikings have a number of potential options to weigh regarding the sport's most important position. Still seeking their first playoff win, this regime could try to swing a blockbuster deal for an established star quarterback, though those are tough to pull off and could limit their ability to address other holes. They could draft another first-round QB, but that seems unlikely. The most logical route might be to acquire a capable veteran (someone in the Kirk Cousins or Mac Jones ballpark) who can compete with McCarthy for the job — or at least provide an elevated floor as a backup.

McCarthy said he believes he's earned the trust of the Vikings' decision-makers, but he also realizes the future is now out of his hands to some degree.

"In my opinion, I feel like I have, but at the end of the day, they have their own opinion, they have their own perspective," McCarthy said. "I just feel confident going into this offseason and content with where I'm at, because I feel like they know who I am as an individual and the potential and capability that this offense could have with me at the helm.

"But at the end of the day, it's all about the guys (on the team). And from here on out, if I'm here, if I'm not, I love every single one of those guys and had a frickin' blast playing for them."

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