Website Publishes Outlandishly False Vikings Take
In September, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will take his first regular season snap, and a new era of Vikings football will be underway.
“Last Word on Sports” Claims J.J. McCarthy Era Is Almost Over for Vikings
The only item that would ruin the plan is injury.
But according to Last Word on Sports, a sports-themed website covering all major leagues, the J.J. McCarthy era is winding down.
A Blatantly False Publication
Foremost, Last Word on Sports led with this article title: “Shocking: Vikings Expected to Cut 2024 Draft Pick” — referring to McCarthy.
There is no evidence anywhere that Minnesota will cut or trade McCarthy. None.
LWOS’ Anthony Palacios wrote, “Despite letting former quarterback Sam Darold hit the free agent market, the Minnesota Vikings will likely cut JJ McCarthy before the 2025 regular season. One NFL analyst believes the Vikings are on the verge of releasing the former draft pick after missing the entire campaign last year.”
“It’ll be interesting to see what the team will do, but they need a solid quarterback, as they saw Darnold bring them to limits they’ve never seen in a bridge signal-caller. The pressure is on the Vikings this year to see what they will do, and even though the team may not move on immediately, it’s still possible that it’s coming sooner rather than later.”
It’s worth noting that Palacios’ piece isn’t even dressed up as satire. It states, as fact, that McCarthy will likely be released.
He added, “Originally selected as a No. 10 pick, the former Michigan product led the Wolverines to an undefeated season in 2022, leading them to a national championship. The quarterback finished his college career with just one loss, so it’s clear that it was just bad timing that he had his season-ending injury.”
“Typically, an NFL team needs at least two full seasons to decide if they will keep the current quarterback on their roster. This is what they’ve yet to see from McCarthy, and it will be very surprising if the Vikings move on earlier than anticipated. If they undergo a losing season this year, then expect these three teams to push for a possible trade even before the season.”
The Situation Is the Opposite
Not only is LWOS’ article wrong, the opposite is occurring in Minneapolis. After seven seasons of Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold at quarterback, the Vikings, alas, are embarking on an era with a young, affordable passer, mainly because the Cousins and Darnold experiments did not work to the tune of a Super Bowl. which has eluded the franchise for about 60 years.
McCarthy is not on the roster bubble, and in fact, all dealings regarding McCarthy have involved his promotion to QB1 this offseason.
The article almost reads like an April Fool’s publication in May.
An Article That Couldn’t Be More Wrong
In addition to the McCarthy era just beginning in the Twin Cities, the Last Word on Sports couldn’t be more misleading if it tried.
It’s akin to stating that Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is nearing retirement. It’s that false. Or that the Los Angeles Dodgers will trade Shohei Ohtani in the coming months.
The internet is often a forum for wild takes and falsehoods, but from a Vikings viewpoint, this one might take the cake.
The Article Even Had McCarthy Non-Vikings Destinations
Palacios even offered where McCarthy would land after the fake roster release.
For example, he picked the Carolina Panthers and wrote, “However, Bryce Young is on the hot seat as well, even though he did show signs of life last year. Young has all the weapons in the world to finally succeed, so he doesn’t have any excuse not to play up to standards. However, head coach Dave Canales isn’t afraid to switch quarterbacks if he has to.”
“Last season, he did that, and that’s what motivated Young to progress. If he can have that same mojo going into the 2025 campaign, many should expect them to trade for a quarterback, and McCarthy could save their season.”
He also served up McCarthy to the New Orleans Saints: “The New Orleans Saints are in a tough spot this upcoming season after undergoing one of the most hectic offseasons in organizational history. Former quarterback Derek Carr decided to announce his retirement due to injury concerns, so now it’s on 2025 draft pick Tyler Shough and last year’s pick, Spencer Rattler, to battle it out for the starting job. It’s Rattler’s position up for grabs, as many anticipate he may win the starting duties since he has experience as a quarterback on this team from last year under his belt.”
“Despite that, they can’t afford to depend on Rattler if he doesn’t perform up to standards. They need a proven signal-caller who can at least give them a winning season this year. Even though JJ McCarthy has yet to impress, he’s probably the better quarterback in this situation. He won’t single-handedly win a Super Bowl in his first year with the Saints, but he could lead them at least to a potential wild-card.”
McCarthy won’t be released or traded, and the notion that the LWOS published a, what appears to be, serious article about it is mind-boggling.
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