J.J. McCarthy ‘Not Guaranteed’ Starting Job in Latest News

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is heading into an offseason where nothing is being handed to him, and that’s the bad news.
The Athletic’s Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis laid out why Minnesota is treating quarterback as an open-market conversation over the next few weeks, not a “McCarthy is the unquestioned starter” coronation. Lewis wrote that the team’s foremost concern is McCarthy’s availability, pointing out he has played in only 29% of the Vikings’ regular-season games since being drafted in 2024.
With the NFL’s legal tampering window set for March 9-11 and free agency opening March 11, the Vikings’ decision point is approaching fast, and any meaningful veteran addition would be a loud signal about how “secure” the organization really feels with McCarthy.
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Lewis’ framing is straightforward: the Vikings can’t afford another quarterback plan that collapses, and McCarthy’s injury history is already extensive for a 23-year-old.
During the 2025 season alone, McCarthy dealt with multiple issues, including a concussion that placed him in protocol in late November. When you stack that on top of earlier setbacks, it’s easy to understand why Minnesota would want “insurance,” even if it still believes McCarthy can develop.
The other piece: performance. McCarthy has shown flashes, but the efficiency indicators have been rough enough that the Vikings can’t treat development as a slow-burn luxury if 2026 is viewed internally as a bounce-back year. In 2025, McCarthy started 10 games and finished with 1,632 passing yards, 11 TDs, and 12 INTs (72.6 passer rating).
The Vikings’ cap reality complicates the “big swing” QB idea
Here’s the part that matters for how aggressive Minnesota can be: money.
Over The Cap currently lists the Vikings at roughly -$40.1 million in cap space for 2026 (and -$45.2 million effective cap space), with only the Chiefs in worse shape.
So yes, restructures can happen, but adding a premium veteran contract at QB would likely force sacrifices elsewhere.
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If Kirk Cousins is even on Minnesota’s board — whether as a bridge starter, a camp competition, or a fallback if other options get too expensive — it tells you exactly why this storyline qualifies as “bad news” for McCarthy: the Vikings would be prioritizing certainty over development runway.
Lewis’ larger point is that Minnesota is viewed as a desirable landing spot (Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, overall infrastructure), which matters because the market may include trade and bridge-starter types rather than a perfect “franchise QB for sale.”
One name that keeps coming up in league chatter is Mac Jones, but Dianna Russini reported the 49ers’ preference is not to trade him and to keep their Brock Purdy-Jones setup intact for 2026.
Beyond that tier, the market is shaped by availability (who’s actually gettable), cost (cap hit + trade compensation), and timeline (whether the Vikings want a clear 1A starter or a true competition).
The important takeaway for a McCarthy headline isn’t “the Vikings are done with him.” It’s this: Minnesota is acting like it needs a Plan B that can play, and when teams do that, the incumbent’s margin for error shrinks quickly.
If the Vikings leave March with only low-cost backup competition, that’s a quiet vote of confidence. If they chase (and land) an experienced starter-type via trade or a real contract, that’s the clearest “bad news” signal McCarthy could get before he even takes a 2026 snap.