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The Minnesota Vikings have won two straight games, and J.J. McCarthy has looked more impressive since returning from his concussion amid what’s been a challenging 2025 NFL season for him.
Finishing the campaign on a positive note would be a confidence booster for McCarthy. However, the question will be whether it’s enough to convince the Vikings’ front office that he’s the franchise quarterback, or whether Minnesota will still pursue a signal-caller this upcoming offseason.
If the Vikings decide they want to pursue a quarterback to challenge McCarthy and make him earn the starting job, CBS Sports NFL analyst Danny Kannel floated the idea of pursuing Miami Dolphins‘ Tua Tagovailoa, who was recently benched in favor of Quinn Ewers.
“I think there are a couple of different scenarios to consider,” Kannel said during a December 19 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ.“ “One, a team that’s potentially going to draft a young quarterback and then bring in Tua as a bridge where he can start. You put him in a situation and ask him to be a mentor. I don’t know if Tua will sit comfortably knowing that he’s going to be a mentor, but that’s the reality of his career right now.
“You [can] go to a place that has a young quarterback who is struggling like Minnesota. Remember, Minnesota had Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold last year [and] moved on from both to bet on J.J. McCarthy. That hasn’t worked. He’s still on his rookie deal. So, you could bring in Tua at a reduced rate. But again, he can start and is capable of leading an offense. That type of situation would work out best for Tua.”
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Still Has Doubters
While the second-year quarterback has looked better over the last two weeks, Vikings legend Cris Carter remains undecided on McCarthy, even after back-to-back strong showings against the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys.
“We have lowered our standards so much to accommodate him, but it’s about winning,“ Carter said on the December 15 edition of “Up & Adams.” “It’s about growing. We knew that we had a young quarterback, and we knew that he didn’t get a red shirt here last year. That year really hurt him. This is what we’re stuck with. When Carson Wentz gets hurt, we can’t go anywhere. We can’t go to the backup. We tried that, saw what happened out in Seattle.
“So we’re stuck with him. Hope he can stay healthy because these reps that he’s getting, especially against a competition like Dallas on Sunday night, they’re invaluable for his overall growth. I still believe he can be the franchise quarterback, but let me tell you something, right now, today, we don’t know.”
Justin Jefferson Talks J.J. McCarthy’s Improved Form
After the game against Dallas, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson offered his take on McCarthy, reflecting on what he’s noticed over the past two games as the quarterback looks to close the season on a high note.
“Coming off of last week’s game, a 31-0 victory, that’s something to have confidence in and really feed off of,“ Jefferson told reporters. “Coming into this week, we had a similar game plan as last week, keeping everything pretty simple and letting [McCarthy] go out there and play freely. It just comes down to executing the plays.
“I feel like all 11 guys went out there with the mindset to win this game and do whatever we need to do to score points and be ahead when the clock hits zero. I’m just proud of him, leading this team and this offense. Of course, we still have work to do, need to make improvements, and have a game next week, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He previously covered the league for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has contributed as a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He also served as an editor for Athlon Sports and Heavy Sports focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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