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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 04: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The noise surrounding the future of Minnesota Vikings quarterback, JJ McCarthy has begun to reach fever pitch after both the firing of general manager, Kwesi Adofo Mensah and multiple current Vikings players coming out and making comments about the team’s 2025 quarterback situation.
Although the team have seemingly committed to the development of their former 10th overall pick signal caller, Minnesota has already stated that they intend to bring in reinforcements at the position over the course of the offseason.
And according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, McCarthy’s future is very much up in the air at this point in time, noting that “all bets are off” regarding the quarterback position in Minneapolis in 2026.
Seifert points to the increased pressure on head coach, Kevin O’Connell, given Adofo-Mensah’s departure, as a core reason as to why the team could pivot in another direction at QB in 2026.
Vikings’ Quarterback Situation Unsure For the Coming Season
“The best way to put this, based on what sources have said, is that all bets are off.” Seifert said with regard to the Vikings plans for the former Michigan man. “The general manager who drafted McCarthy No. 10 in 2024 has been fired, and the coach who was in full agreement with that decision is now under considerably more scrutiny.”
“In the big picture, McCarthy is a talented player who just turned 23 and has a total of 10 NFL starts.” Seifert continued. “Few NFL teams would give up on a quarterback with that profile, and many team builders are particularly enamored with optimizing a quarterback’s rookie contract. Adofo-Mensah was one of them, but his departure is a reminder of the range of outcomes that approach can lead to.”
Indeed, Seifert claims that in an effort to not present himself and the team as having not learnt from the problems of 2025, the Vikings will be more likely to acquire a strong veteran quarterback to potentially start this season.
“If anything, these events increase the chances that the Vikings will take a big swing at finding a veteran quarterback who could start in 2026. The only thing more damaging than making the mistakes the Vikings made last season would be to repeat them this year.”
Which Veteran QBs Could The Vikings Bring In?
A Kirk Cousins reunion would seem like the most obvious option, having had some decent games down the stretch of the 2025 season. Cousins is currently under contract with the Atlanta Falcons, but he is expected to be released ahead of the coming year after two seasons in the NFC South.
Cousins managed the highest win total of his career during his first and only full season with O’Connell as head coach in 2022, going 13-4 before being sunk by the New York Giants in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Other options include San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers backups, Mac Jones and Malik Willis, both of whom will hit the open market in March.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas
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