After last season ended, all signs pointed to the Minnesota Vikings having J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback this season. No amount of forced offseason speculation about Aaron Rodgers or any other notable veteran quarterback was going to derail that.
With that in mind, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones were never really options to be brought back. The fact that they are both enjoying success with their new teams this season is immaterial to the broader equation.
McCarthy made the fourth start of his career against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10, and if he hadn't missed time with an ankle injury, he'd still be headed for just his 10th career start Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Yet some people are ready to offer broad narratives about a quarterback plan gone awry, with a signal caller who will turn 23 in January.
That's not to say there aren't a lot of things to fix or change, for multiple people on multiple fronts. The rest of the season, whether the Vikings win a lot of games or not, will be important to getting McCarthy on a better, more consistent track.
Analyst offers an idea and a lame take about Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy in quick succession
Having a sufficient level of competitive fire does not appear to be an issue for McCarthy. But he also did not have to truly compete for the starting job during OTAs or training camp heading into his first season as the Vikings' starter.
When Mike Florio and Chris Simms talked about the Vikings-Ravens game on "PFT Live", Florio took his assessment beyond the game to the bigger picture for the Vikings with McCarthy.
"The Vikings need a quarterback competition, I think they need to sign somebody in the offseason, not as the ‘you’re going to be the starter and J.J.’s out.‘ I think they need to make him earn it against someone", Florio said.
"They need him in day-to-day competition to push him toward his ceiling. And whatever his ceiling is, it is what it is. Right now, I am concerned the ceiling isn’t where it needs to be because we can’t have one week where it all clicks. It’s not like he’s ever going to be a gunslinger...he’s never going to be Matthew Stafford. It’s going to be about what he can do at the right time—make the right play in the right spot. Sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t.”
"I think they need to be looking for someone with a higher ceiling", Florio said. "So they either need to push him toward the higher ceiling internally, or pull the plug."
Depending on how the final eight games of the season go, the idea that the Vikings should add legit competition for McCarthy during the offseason is not ridiculous.
But as Simms countered, with the perspective of someone who was once a young NFL quarterback who had quick narratives written about him, it is too early to draw any conclusion about McCarthy's career trajectory and where his ceiling is.
That's where Florio went too far, setting the "didn't need time to show greatness" bar at Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen after McCarthy's fourth NFL start.