Max Brosmer’s Advantage Over J.J. McCarthy
The quarterback position is once again in limbo for the Minnesota Vikings.
Not only has J.J. McCarthy’s play so far this season been less than impressive, throwing just six touchdown passes compared to 10 interceptions in six starts while completing only 54% of his passes, but he also suffered a concussi0n during Minnesota’s most recent loss to the Green Bay Packers.
As a result of the concussion, McCarthy’s availability for this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks is up in the air. If he is unable to play, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer would step in to fill that role with the recently-signed Desmond Ridder probably being elevated from the practice squad.
Asking an undrafted rookie to step in and start a regular season NFL game is difficult enough in and of itself, but the Seahawks also feature one of the best defenses in football while Seattle has proven to be one of the most difficult road stadiums for the Vikings to win games in over the years.
However, if Brosmer were to get the ball handed to him this Sunday, there is one distinct advantage he has over McCarthy prior to his first NFL start.
Max Brosmer’s Advantage Over J.J. McCarthy
The collegiate experience can prove to be a vastly important part of a quarterback’s development, and Brosmer certainly got a lot of it. He spent six years in college, and he started at least ten games in four of those seasons.
Brosmer played five of those seasons at New Hampshire, starting 35 games at the FCS level. He completed 62% of his passes for 8701 passing yards, 70 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. He then transferred to Minnesota where he played an additional 13 games and completed 66.5% of his passes for 2829 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Solid numbers for a first-year Big Ten player.
In all, Brosmer had 1656 drop backs at the college level, which is more than C.J. Stroud has taken in the NFL through his first three seasons. It’s also more than twice as McCarthy took during his collegiate career at Michigan. Over three seasons with the Wolverines, he had just 795 drop backs.
Granted, McCarthy’s snaps came in more high-pressure situations at Michigan compared to Brosmer’s career largely being played at New Hampshire, but are every two of Brosmer’s drop backs still less valuable than one of McCarthy’s drop backs at Michigan?
It’s still playing experience, and at this point in McCarthy’s NFL career, it’s becoming clear that he simply needs more work and development in the pocket before he can be a stable starting quarterback.
It may remind some of a situation in San Francisco where the 49ers drafted a young QB third overall (Trey Lance) who had played just one season as a starter at North Dakota State. Lance never developed into a starter, but luckily, the 49ers landed a gem in Brock Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, who had 1681 drop backs over four seasons at Iowa State.
Could a similar situation happen in Minnesota? Well, it seems unlikely that McCarthy will lose his starting spot this season as long as he is healthy, particularly given how much the Vikings committed to him in 2024. However, if Brosmer comes in and looks poised in the pocket while performing well, some eyebrows could be raised.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Focus.
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