Everyone seems to have an opinion about quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Expectations for him may vary wildly, but the Minnesota Vikings quarterback has struggled to be an effective passer since the team picked him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Even after sitting out his rookie season due to a knee injury, he couldn't seem to put a complete game together as the starter in his second season with the Vikings. With a lack of competition and no competent backup on the roster, Minnesota really backed itself into a corner.
Former Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph had some blunt things to say about how the team handled starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
On Tuesday's episode of Up and Adams with Kay Adams, they had former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph as a guest. When discussing J.J. McCarthy, the retired Pro Bowl tight end was highly critical of how the purple and gold are going about their quarterback situation.
"I think it's a big mistake that they made last year, kind of, just handing over the reins and not having a veteran to compete with him."
Looking back, it does look like a mistake not to have an established quarterback to compete and push J.J. McCarthy was a mistake. He was clearly not ready for that role, which is something the coaching staff should have made clear to the general manager.
"You know, there certainly were a few options, one of which is playing this weekend in the NFC championship game. Another one in Daniel Jones, that was in the locker room last year, who obviously, you know, I'm a huge fan of and absolutely love his game."
Retaining Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones would have been a challenge for the Vikings, but the idea remains the same. An established quarterback should have been there for McCarthy's second season with Minnesota, but instead, the team scrambled after their draft day trade for Sam Howell turned out poorly.
"This doesn't mean that J.J. can't be your quarterback of the future, but just handing him over a Super Bowl-caliber roster and saying, 'OK, go for it,'" and not having a veteran that is in that room and competing against him, I ultimately think that you're not setting him up for success."
There is no doubt that with a better offense, this Minnesota Vikings team would have been in the playoffs. Considering this team somehow won nine games in 2025, the sky could have been the limit. Instead, the franchise was limited by an offense that struggled to put points on the board.