Two years after the team used a top-10 draft pick to select him, J.J. McCarthy's future with the Minnesota Vikings is more uncertain than ever. This offseason, the Vikings are in the middle of deciding if they want to already cut bait with McCarthy or keep him around to see if he can still develop into a franchise quarterback.
At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell shared whether he believes McCarthy is still capable of becoming the team's franchise signal-caller one day.
"A lot of those feelings are still the same. It's just the timeline is in a different place for all of us than it was [in 2024].”
Minnesota Vikings increase uncertainty already surrounding QB J.J. McCarthy
O'Connell is a master of saying a lot while also revealing almost nothing at the same exact time. On Tuesday, however, the Vikings' head coach seemed to make it pretty clear that the team isn't out on McCarthy at this point.
Does this mean he will remain Minnesota's starting quarterback for the 2026 season? Well, not quite, especially after hearing what the Vikings' de facto general manager, Rob Brzezinski, had to say on Tuesday about what the team will be looking for this offseason when it comes to the quarterback position.
"What we do know is we need a level of baseline quarterback play for us to be effective. A lot of this has been J.J. in unfortunate [situations] with some of the injuries and things that he's dealt with, but we're going to explore every opportunity, and I don't think there's anything specifically we're looking for.
We can't manufacture anything that's not there. So No. 1, what are the options? Is it reciprocal? Is it financially doable? All those things. There's just a lot of factors that go into it."
Brzezinski also told reporters on Tuesday that Minnesota is going to cast "a wide net" in its search for another quarterback this year and they're "[not] ruling anything out" when it comes to who they ultimately decide to add to the position group.
Let's remember, though, the Vikings are currently projected to begin the new league year in March more than $43 million over the salary cap. So, it's not like Minnesota just has unlimited options when it comes to picking which quarterback they can bring in this offseason.
Still, regardless of who they add, the Vikings will eventually have to decide what they want to do with McCarthy this year. Currently, it seems like Minnesota wants to keep him around for the 2026 season, but continuing forward with him as their starter isn't anywhere close to being a guarantee.