Anonymous NFL Coach Stirs the Pot for Vikings
The last two weeks have not gone swimmingly for the Minnesota Vikings, losing back-to-back games at home and putting their playoff dreams on life support. And then an anonymous NFL coach came along this week to twist the knife.
An anonymous NFL coach has stirred the pot for the Vikings, adding new intrigue and tension as the team navigates a turbulent stretch in the 2025 season.
The unnamed source claimed that head coach Kevin O’Connell is frustrated by his young quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, and that McCarthy’s weapons are all open all over the field. He’s just missing them.
Rumor: Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell Frustrated by QB Play
The latest morsel of unsettling news in Minnesota.
Anonymous Coach Claims O’Connell Isn’t Happy
Via The Athletic‘s Mike Sando, a coach in the shadows apparently knows something before anyone else.
The unnamed source told Sando, “The receivers are visually frustrated, and they are open all over the tape. All of them — Jalen Nailor, Jordan Addison, Justin Jefferson, and the tight end T.J. Hockenson. That should be a Cincinnati offense, but all you hear from Minnesota is about how rosy and great it is there. What I see is a quarterback who feels like he is really frustrating the play caller.”
Sando, on his own behalf, added, “When O’Connell does study the tape, he’ll see a frustrated Jefferson failing to reach for a pass so errant that it sailed over the receiver’s head. He’ll also see two Bears defenders so eager to pick off one underthrown ball, they collided with sufficient force to send one of them to the sideline for a stint.”
McCarthy on the Struggle Bus
One thing is certain about McCarthy, O’Connell, and the Vikings: the quarterback performance in its current state is the worst in the NFL.
McCarthy ranks dead last in the league per EPA+CPOE, even worse than Cleveland Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel. Last weekend, McCarthy struggled with the basic functionality of quarterbacking — like completing a pass.
Somehow, he flipped a switch with the game on the line, nearly winning the game for Minnesota, but the Vikings’ special teams took a lunchbreak on a kick return, allowing the Chicago Bears to line up for a game-winning field goal, which Cairo Santos banged through.
There is no way to assign silver linings: McCarthy has floundered as of late, and if he were a veteran, he would be benched.
Pass-Catchers Are Indeed Open
It’s also accurate that the Vikings’ pass-catchers are open. Some fans have recklessly demanded that Kevin O’Connell “give up playcalling,” but the coach is scheming players open. Marvelously, in fact.
McCarthy just isn’t connecting on throws, and when he does, against the Bears, receivers drop passes — on six occasions.
On the whole, players are getting open for McCarthy; McCarthy is failing them sans the drops.
Seven Weeks for McCarthy to Flip the Switch
Whether O’Connell is truly frustrated or if he understands his quarterback’s development journey, McCarthy has seven weeks to improve. If one assumes that he did not improve, delivering a completion percentage in the ballpark of 50% in most games through the end of the season, Minnesota almost verifiably would not waltz into 2026 with McCarthy as the sole QB1 solution. It would draft another passer or sign someone like Will Levis or Anthony Richardson.
Still, this thing is all up to McCarthy. He’s played five games, many of them sketchy. He has seven left to bank real improvement.
Kyle Joudry on O’Connell, McCarthy
Our Kyle Joudry broached the subject this week of Minnesota entertaining a bench assignment for McCarthy.
He wrote, “Based on the on-field play alone, J.J. McCarthy should be benched; in no way is that a controversial statement. Sitting on a 2-3 record, J.J. McCarthy is completing just 52.9% of his passes.”
“Among qualified quarterbacks on PFR, McCarthy sits in 35th out of the 35 under consideration. He’s sitting in that spot despite having arguably the most impressive array of skill in the NFL (though drops have been a problem). The 34th-place quarterback is rookie Cam Ward, someone who sits at 58.4% passing, a strong step ahead of Minnesota’s starter despite playing for a 1-9 Titans team that has already fired its head coach.”
McCarthy’s next challenge is the Green Bay Packers at their house.
Joudry added, “The passing yardage is coming in at 35th, as well. Across five games, he has topped out at 248 yards. His average comes in at 168 yards per game. There’s then the 8 interceptions to stand alongside 6 touchdowns. Add it all together and McCarthy is playing benchable football. Minnesota could turn to Max Brosmer or John Wolford, but doing so comes with questions.”
“Is it fair to insert the rookie UDFA? What upside is there in promoting Wolford apart from shielding the young passers from a relentless NFL?”
O’Connell picked this guy as his man to define his early-career legacy. If he’s frustrated, that’s fine. But he must look in the mirror, too.
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