Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Sent Ominous Warning Ahead of 1st Start

The Minnesota Vikings know how to shepherd quarterbacks, which is cause for optimism as the team approaches training camp with J.J. McCarthy as the clear starter.

This is both good, and potentially bad, news for McCarthy — the former No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft who missed his entire rookie year with a knee injury. On one hand, head coach Kevin O’Connell could get the very best from the 22-year-old beginning in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

“I can draw two parallel universes for you. In the first, a year of rehab gave McCarthy the opportunity to prepare mentally, and he is accordingly as sharp as a tack under center — no rookie mistakes,” Ben Solak of ESPN wrote Wednesday, July 16. “Fully physically recovered, he offers more on the boot than [Sam] Darnold ever did, creating a new layer in the already dangerous Vikings offense. Minnesota hits the ground running.”

However, if McCarthy struggles, his team is so good that O’Connell won’t be able to justify tossing a year of Super Bowl contention out the window in the name of developing a young QB — especially not if a proven commodity like Kirk Cousins is readily available on the trade block, which currently appears the case.

“The Vikings are in a competitive division and harbor deep playoff aspirations,” Solak continued. “They only have so much leash to give a rookie, especially when you consider how easily Kevin O’Connell has made veteran quarterbacks shine in this offense. McCarthy’s health and confidence are about as big of a July storyline as you get in the NFL.”

Vikings Running Major Risk With Sam Howell as QB2 Entering Training Camp

The Vikings are playing a calculated game of risk heading into training camp, as they wait for more information on both McCarthy and the players behind him on the depth chart.

Sam Howell is entering his fourth season and is the clearcut No. 2 heading into training camp. Minnesota knows he has a big arm and is willing to sling the football around the field after he led the league in pass attempts as the Washington Commanders‘ starter in 2023 (388-of-612 for 3,946 yards).

However, Howell also went 5-13 that year, hasn’t started since and has thrown 22 career TDs compared to 23 INTs. In fairness to him, Washington owned the No. 2 pick and replaced Howell with Jayden Daniels, who many around the NFL already consider a top-10 quarterback after a tremendous rookie campaign that ended in the NFC Championship Game.

Howell played the backup role with the Seattle Seahawks last season behind Geno Smith, before that franchise decided to replace Smith with Darnold and drafted a high-upside and experienced rookie QB in Jalen Milroe — who could have a dual-threat ceiling similar to Daniels’ if his skill sets translate and everything else breaks right.

Vikings Could Turn to Kirk Cousins or Possibly Joe Flacco if J.J. McCarthy Struggles

Still, the notion that Howell is the player to whom the Vikings will want to turn the offense over if McCarthy is hurt or plays badly enough that O’Connell must sit him strains credulity.

As such, if Howell bombs at training camp, the Vikings will have little choice but to pursue a veteran. Cousins could be too much of a threat to McCarthy given his long history in Minnesota, which includes considerable success. But that isn’t how Minnesota should be thinking with a roster this good and serious salary cap woes waiting in 2026, which may require the team cut quality talent.

Instead, the Vikings should be thinking about a veteran backup who is good enough to lead a team on a run down the stretch. If Cousins isn’t that guy, perhaps Cleveland Browns veteran Joe Flacco could be after what he did for that organization in 2023.

Flacco isn’t yet on the trade block, though he could end up there even if he wins the Browns starting job ahead of Week 1. Cleveland projects as arguably the worst team in the league this season and could legitimately be looking at a 1-5 or 0-6 mark one-third of the way into the campaign given how difficult the schedule is to open 2025.