Entering his third season, J.J. McCarthy is entering a crossroads with the Minnesota Vikings. Stuck in a training camp battle with Kyler Murray, McCarthy needs to show significant improvement to hold onto his starting job.
This is a situation that creates pressure for any player in the NFL. But it ratchets up even more when the battle extends to the fan base.
Vikings fans have been extremely vocal about the quarterback battle this offseason. While some want to see more from McCarthy, others have taken a more aggressive approach, hurling insults both online and during practices at TCO Performance Center, per SI’s Jason Harmon.
When a quarterback struggles as much as McCarthy did last year, some boo birds are going to be natural. But it feels like a significant portion of the fan base has taken his struggles personally, and the battle has already boiled over entering the second week of camp.
Minnesota Vikings fans still aren’t over J.J. McCarthy’s flop as a starting QB
When any young quarterback enters this situation, the first question is where things went wrong. McCarthy was a polarizing prospect entering the 2024 NFL Draft, connected to a Michigan team that leaned heavily on its running game and was linked to a play-calling scandal led by former Wolverines assistant Connor Stalions.
McCarthy’s status as an unpolished prospect also divided Vikings fans but the team saw enough to trade up one spot and make him the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history with the 10th overall pick.
For all the questions, there was hope the Vikings had the answers. At 6-foot-3 and 197 pounds, McCarthy has the size if he added some extra weight. He also hunted big plays downfield with 8.7 yards and 9.41 air yards per attempt during his three seasons at Michigan. His 72.3 percent completion rate and 9.79 air yards per attempt led the Big Ten in his final season in 2023, and with the Vikings' infrastructure led by Kevin O’Connell, fans could talk themselves into things working out.
Those hopes went out the window after the first preseason game of his rookie season. While he played well against the second-string defense of the Las Vegas Raiders, he tore his meniscus and required season-ending surgery. Sam Darnold’s performance in 2024 didn’t help matters and the quarterback that was already supposed to be the long-term answer to Kirk Cousins now had even bigger shoes to fill.
Turning down Aaron Rodgers’ flirtations in the 2025 offseason created even bigger expectations and the NFL responded by making five of the Vikings’ first seven games island games including two in Europe.
This was a recipe for disaster. But it got even worse when McCarthy took the field. While he won the season opener against the Chicago Bears, he didn’t play great. He played even worse the following week in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons before suffering a high ankle sprain and the rest of the season was talked about “drying concrete” and fundamentals.
Vikings were embarrassed by more than McCarthy’s play in 2025
In the end, McCarthy won six of his 10 starts. But he got injured in three of them and finished by completing 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also was historically bad in his first six starts by the expected points added (EPA) metric, finishing 851st out of 852 qualifying quarterbacks since 2000, just ahead of former Raiders bust JaMarcus Russell.
But poor performance and failing to live up to expectations are only part of the equation. The other half is that fans feel like he embarrassed the Vikings.
Anything McCarthy did quickly went viral in a bad way. His celebration after defeating the Detroit Lions spawned the “Nine” meme that has been used for athletes, politicians and celebrities who have fallen short of expectations. His “Griddy” during a touchdown celebration in a Week 15 win over the Dallas Cowboys irked O’Connell after his staff asked him not to do it.
McCarthy’s personal quarterback coach also called Vikings legend Cris Carter a clown on social media, and in his first meeting with the Green Bay Packers, McCarthy struggled mightily before suffering a concussion in a 23-6 Week 12 loss at Lambeau Field.
In addition, he tarnished the sterling reputation of two beloved franchise figures in O’Connell and Justin Jefferson. O’Connell’s status as a quarterback whisperer is in question after failing to develop the quarterback of the future, and Jefferson wasn’t himself, needing to play in a meaningless Week 18 game just to reach 1,000 yards.
While the Vikings finished 9-8, many blame McCarthy for missing the playoffs and not living up to preseason Super Bowl expectations, and it came out in one nasty ball of energy as McCarthy battled Murray to keep his starting job.
McCarthy’s future with Vikings is complicated regardless of QB battle
With all of this in mind, it’s fair to wonder whether the damage between McCarthy and the fan base is irreparable. The Vikings seemed to have sent their message loud and clear about McCarthy’s future when they added Murray this offseason, and O’Connell has done anything but voice a vote of confidence for McCarthy, even though he’s been insistent that there is a competition for the starting job.
It’s not uncommon for an athlete to be booed or jeered when he falls short of expectations. But the bar was set so high and the outcome came up so short that many believe McCarthy is public enemy No. 1 during training camp.
Even if McCarthy beats out Murray, he’ll still feel the wrath of the aggressive side of Vikings fans, who will call for his veteran counterpart at the first sign of struggles. It’s also concerning that O’Connell doesn’t even seem to want McCarthy with Carter suggesting he was more of former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s choice than O’Connell’s.
Perhaps McCarthy can recover from the rough start to his career and be a functional NFL quarterback. But after ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported multiple overthrows during a drill with no defense in training camp on Tuesday, it’s fair to wonder if the best solution is for both sides to throw in the towel.
As of now, the relationship between quarterback and fans is severely strained and it could lead everyone to the realization that McCarthy isn’t the Vikings’ solution for a franchise quarterback.
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