Hall of Famer Isn’t 100% Sold on J.J. McCarthy
Minnesota Vikings fans are ultra-stoked about quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who will assume a QB1 job this autumn after recovering from a torn meniscus injury that ended his rookie season.
Kurt Warner isn’t betting it on all J.J. McCarthy just yet, evidently needing time to make a judgment.
Because Sam Darnold won 14 games with the Vikings in 2024, most have big plans for McCarthy, as early as now, on a roster with such supreme talent and depth.
But according to Kurt Warner, a Super Bowl Champion and Hall of Famer, the outlook is a bit more hesitant.
Kurt Warner a Bit Skittish on J.J. McCarthy
Warner certainly didn’t decry McCarthy, but he expressed a bit more skepticism about his game-readiness than most.
“I think they’re gonna be a good team. I think they’re going to be a good offense. There’s enough pieces and Coach O’Connell does such a great job of setting up his quarterback to make plays that they’re going to be a good football team. I just don’t know how good JJ McCarthy is going to be at the NFL level,” Warner told Jim Rome last weekend.
“I just need to see more of that.”
Warner concluded, “He’s got the physical ability to do it. I know he can push the ball down the field, but consistency when it comes to playing the quarterback position is what this is all about. There’s enough pieces, and Coach O’Connell does such a great job of setting up his quarterback to make plays that they’re going to be a good football team.”
Warner basically needs to “see it to believe it” first.
Captain Obvious?
Warner’s comments might teeter into Captain Obvious territory. Of course McCarthy must actually set foot on a field first for onlookers to trust him. That’s the way sports work.
Even Victor Wembanyama had to physically play a few games before the masses could confirm his bonafide upward trajectory.
Warner has a couple more hesitations, mainly because of last August’s meniscus tear.
McCarthy with the “Quarterback Whisperer”
McCarthy is set up marvelously for success because of his head coach. Kevin O’Connell has cemented a reputation as a “quarterback whisperer” after getting the best from Kirk Cousins for a couple of seasons, empowering Joshua Dobbs against all odds for two games in 2023, creating a forum for Nick Mullens to toss 400-yard games with ease, and rearing Sam Darnold to 14 wins in 2024.
It would be quite weird in retrospect for O’Connell to carefully scout his quarterback of the future for three offseasons and then come up empty on the one player who will define his legacy as a head coach.
What’s more, McCarthy will have playmakers out the wazoo in Minnesota, with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Jalen Nailor, Rondale Moore, and Tail Felton sharing a huddle in September.
Plenty of Time to Develop
Thankfully for the Vikings’ sake, no matter what Warner believes, McCarthy has time to mature and develop in O’Connell’s system.
McCarthy turned 22 in January and has four seasons ahead before he’s eligible for a mega contract, which will likely check in around $70 million per season — if he’s a Top 12 or better quarterback.
The youngster may not set the world on fire right away — few do — but his acclimation to the Vikings is about the long haul, not just 2025.
Former Viking Endorses McCarthy
An active NFLer — not a Hall of Famer — and former Viking, Camryn Bymum, provided a counterpoint this week on McCarthy.
Bynum claims McCarthy is ready.
He told The Up and Adams Show, “I know he’s ready to go. The fact that he had a season-ending injury in preseason and we still saw him every day, that says something in itself. You can tear your meniscus and it be a full season injury and it’s fine, it’s normal to not see (that person) the rest of the year unless you go look in the training room at some random hour of the day and see him in there.”
“The fact that he was still in meetings, he was still bothering us defensive players, asking ‘what coverage were you guys in here, what would you guys do in this play in the game?’ Those are the conversations that I had with J.J. going through the season. He’s just coming up to me. Dude, it’s November, and he’s talking about next year like ‘bro, I’m so ready for this offense.”
Bynum and McCarthy shared a locker room last year, and he might be a slightly better judge of character than Warner because of his recent proximity.
Bynum added, “Those conversations just told me that he’s different. The fact that he’s sitting here after a game in the locker room and we’re talking ball, and he still has his knee brace on and walking through, flipping a football in his hand, throwing passes to guys in the locker room. Like yeah, this guy, I don’t wanna say he’s weird, but he’s different. That’s my guy.”
“That’s somebody I respect, and I know that he’ll be able to get the job done. I think they’re in good hands having him there. Regardless of what happens, I know he’s gonna figure it out and thrive in any situation he’ll be in.”
McCarthy’s Vikings will play Bynum’s Colts in 2026.
Vikings Have a Best-Kept Secret
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