Vikings Legend Questions McCarthy's Durability, Weighs in on QB Options

In his debut season, J.J. McCarthy added a lot more questions than he answered. Combine McCarthy's struggles with the fact that the QB the Vikings moved on from just won the Super Bowl, and you have a quarterback situation that is a national talking point. Vikings legend Jared Allen was asked about it on Wednesday and had some pointed questions about McCarthy, as well as his take on who should — and definitely shouldn't — be considered as targets this offseason.

"I'll tell you, my biggest question mark is 'Can the kid stay healthy?" Allen said on Wednesday's Up & Adams with Kay Adams. "He had some good games, they go on a four- or five-game win streak at the end. He started playing better football. But, again, you see in that fourth-quarter comeback against the Bears, and we're like, 'OK, there's something there.' And then they get stomped. Then, you know, kind of the same thing they have a game where he starts bad and they come back. So, I think he has some grit. I think he obviously has some potential but you gotta stay healthy. You gotta stay on the field in this league."

After an up-and-down first season as the starter, the Vikings have signaled their intent to bring in a veteran quarterback to come in and compete with McCarthy. Who that will be remains up in the air, though there have been several names already rumored and speculated about in the weeks since Minnesota's season ended. However, just because the Vikings will look to bring in a veteran doesn't mean McCarthy's time is up. For Allen, a lot of the problems for McCarthy rested on his youth and the pressure put on him with a team that is built to win now.

"I think that's the problem, he's young and from a Vikings fan standpoint, you're looking at one of the best receiving corps in the league," continued Allen. "How long can we sustain (that)? We got a defense that finished the (season) red hot, but everybody's getting older. Every year they get older and those pieces start to fall off. So if you're waiting for J.J. to mature by year five, six, seven, you know, all of a sudden Justin Jefferson is 10, 12 years in. The whole dynamic changes. I'm not one on like fire selling and that kind of stuff but there's a lot of questions that were raised. If you can't stay healthy, you can't stay the starter."

J.J. McCarthy | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

As for who is the right answer to come in, Allen, like everybody else, has his opinions on the best fit for Minnesota. He said not bringing in Aaron Rodgers last year was the correct decision, questioning if another bridge year would have been the right answer for the "long-term success of J.J. (McCarthy)."

Another popular name that has been thrown out in recent weeks is former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. The current Atlanta QB is likely to be released by the Falcons this offseason just two years into his four-year, $180 million deal he signed in 2024. Cousins didn't shoot down the idea of a return during numerous interviews on Radio Row last week. However, for Allen, that's a no-go.

"No. In his prime we weren't winning championships with him," Allen said.

Allen did say he thinks Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa would be an interesting option. That's probably highly unlikely, though, considering Tua's past criticism of current Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores from their time together in Miami. Another name that seemed to interest Allen was current 49ers QB Mac Jones.

"I like what Mac (Jones) did when he stepped in for Brock Purdy," continued Allen. "I think he did a great job in San Francisco. So I like Mac Jones. I think he's talented."

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