The Minnesota Vikings are learning some uncomfortable truths about JJ McCarthy. Coming into his redshirt rookie season, many expected the former Michigan quarterback to be a project. McCarthy had the arm talent, but there were questions about his game sense and accuracy.
After redshirting his first season due to an injury, the Vikings hoped that McCarthy's time on the bench helped him acclimate faster to the NFL pace. Unfortunately, though, McCarthy has played terribly this season. He isn't just a bad quarterback this year, McCarthy is on pace to be one of the worst quarterbacks of all-time at this rate.
This, then, begs the question: should the Vikings bench McCarthy once again? While many fans advocate for this scenario, the Minnesota coaching staff has some qualms about doing this drastic move.
“I’ve been told there were some concerns about how another year sitting on the bench would affect him (McCarthy),” Dianna Russini reported for The Athletic. “And would it even help? Every question has a cousin, and suddenly they’re multiplying. Can a raw but talented quarterback grow fast enough to match a team built to win yesterday? That’s a lot of pressure on a young player, not to mention on QBs coach Josh McCown, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and O’Connell himself.”
McCarthy's 2025 season has been nothing short of a disaster so far. Through six games this season, the Vikings quarterback has thrown six touchdowns and a whopping ten interceptions. He's completed just 54.1% of his passes and has been actively the reason they lost the last few games.
McCarthy's accuracy and on-field processing has been incredibly suspect this year, two of the major draft concerns for the quarterback. A benching would be warranted, especially as their roster is built to contend this season. However, the Vikings are rightfully concerned that benching McCarthy might damage his confidence and make him play worse when he returns.
Regardless, the Vikings need to do something about their quarterback situation, and fast. If they want to salvage something this season, that change needs to be implemented soon.
