All offseason, the conversation has centered on whether the Minnesota Vikings can still win as many games with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback as they did with Sam Darnold in 2024. That narrative, which had been worrying about McCarthy, was taken to a whole new level with doubt now affecting the Vikings' success in 2025.
CBS Sports' Garrett Podell recently predicted who he believed would finish last in each division. Vikings drew the short end of the stick as Podell believes Minnesota will be the bottom team in the NFC North.
While Podell acknowledge the wealth of talent around McCarthy from players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Aaron Jones, it all falls on the quarterback and there is concern on whether McCarthy's lack of experience will hurt the team.
"The problem is McCarthy's draft profile entering his rookie year was that of a bust, and then he became the first quarterback taken in the first round in the common draft era (since 1967) to miss his entire rookie season with an injury. McCarthy tearing his meniscus last preseason prevented him from developing while on the bench as a rookie.
He is also the first first-round quarterback drafted with zero collegiate seasons with either 3,000 passing yards or 500 rushing yards since these Vikings selected Christian Ponder 12th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Florida State. The most recent passer selected in the top 10 like McCarthy without either such season at the college level was Detroit Lions 2002 third overall pick, Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington -- he was a complete bust.
The NFC North is one of the best divisions in football, and having an unproven passer who didn't produce at a high level in college could spell a last-place finish for Minnesota in 2025."
What everyone is missing with the tiresome narrative about Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy
No one said it would be easy to win the NFC North, as every team in the division has the potential to win it, but everyone seems to forget how the Vikings were able to succeed last year. It was a backup quarterback, Darnold, who won 14 games and helped the team make the postseason.
McCarthy is a proven winner himself, dating back to his college days in Michigan. He was 27-1 as a starter, including a national championship win.
The assignment is simple for McCarthy: throw the ball to Jefferson. McCarthy can also hand it off to Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason to provide additional help. He's got an offensive line that is loaded with new talent from the offseason moves. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is one of the NFL's great offensive minds and one of the league's best quarterback developers.
All this clouded judgment on McCarthy is being missed by the fact that the Vikings are set up for success. This is a winning team with weapons on offense and defense. It feels almost impossible for McCarthy to fail because the rest of the 52 talented players on the roster won't let him.
Vikings fans hope all this talk will end as soon as McCarthy shows the league his arm talent against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.