Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has not played well in his first real year of action. Selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Michigan product missed his entire rookie season to injury. While he returned to the lineup in 2025, he only played two games before suffering another injury and ceding the starting job to veteran backup Carson Wentz. When Wentz suffered an injury of his own, McCarthy magically got healthy and returned to the starting lineup.
While he only has five starts in the NFL, none of them have gone particularly well. So far through his short career, McCarthy has completed just 52.9% of his passes for 842 yards, 6.0 yards per attempt, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The advanced metrics aren’t any better, as his 54.6 PFF grade ranks 36th out of 39 eligible players. Given his underwhelming performance, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay believes the Vikings could bench McCarthy next year and pursue old friend Kirk Cousins in the offseason.
“Reuniting with Kirk Cousins would open the door for Minnesota to immediately contend again,” Kay writes. “The team has a proven history of success with the veteran, going 13-4 with him as recently as 2022…Given O’Connell’s 17-8 record with Cousins (he’s just 2-3 with McCarthy), it could be highly beneficial to make a deal that brings the 14-year veteran back into the fold after two seasons away.”
Kay: Vikings Should Bench J.J. McCarthy, Sign Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins is currently under contract with the Atlanta Falcons, and the deal technically runs through the 2025 season. However, Atlanta already paid out most of his guaranteed money, which means they could part ways with the veteran in the upcoming offseason with minimal financial restrictions. Signed to a four-year, $180 million contract last year, Cousins began the 2024 season as Atlanta’s starter but lost the job to rookie Michael Penix after one season. He’s appeared in three games this season (one start) and has completed 61.5% of his passes for 250 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Quite frankly, Kirk Cousins hasn’t looked like his old self since tearing his Achilles in 2023, and there’s no guarantee he’d find his old form if he replaced McCarthy with the Vikings. The silver lining is that the longtime veteran will have the opportunity to prove himself, as Penix suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Carolina Panthers. For better or worse, Cousins will start the rest of the season and show the world what’s left in his tank.
Even if Cousins performs well, would the Vikings pursue his services? J.J. McCarthy’s overall body of work leaves a lot to be desired, but he’s had moments of greatness. During last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears, the quarterback orchestrated a go-ahead drive late in the game while completing six of his eight attempts for 77 yards and a touchdown. While the defense couldn’t hold the lead, McCarthy played his best football in the game’s biggest moments.
Could the Vikings add a veteran quarterback to compete with McCarthy next year? Absolutely. However, given his contract status and performance issues over the past few years, it probably won’t be Kirk Cousins.
Main Photo: Brad Rempel – Imagn Images
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