The Minnesota Vikings appear to be leaning toward J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback for the upcoming season, but head coach Kevin O’Connell has yet to officially name the 22-year-old as QB1.
During an interview with Rich Eisen, O’Connell was asked whether Sam Howell—who the team acquired via a Day 3 draft trade from the Seattle Seahawks—is competing with McCarthy for the starting job.
O’Connell didn’t rule out a quarterback competition or commit to McCarthy as the starter, but he did suggest that McCarthy is progressing toward taking over the role.
“J.J.’s in a strong position to step into a leadership role here, but for now, our focus isn’t on labeling a competition—it’s on creating the best environment for our players to compete,” O’Connell said. “Sam \[Howell] is definitely part of that, and we need to make sure he’s ready, just like Brett Rypien.”
O’Connell also tried to ease concerns about McCarthy’s practice reps. “I know people are stressing about snaps in drills,” he said. “But just so you know, he’s taken a lot of reps from Ryan Kelly—a ten-year starting center in this league. So Vikings fans shouldn’t worry about J.J. getting work with the first team. He’ll be ready.”
O’Connell Continues the Plan for McCarthy
When the Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, they laid out a clear developmental roadmap for him — a list of key milestones he needed to reach before taking over as the starting quarterback.
That plan was put on hold after McCarthy suffered a season-ending meniscus injury last August. However, he made significant strides late in training camp and has maintained that momentum into the spring.
“He’s off to a fantastic start in the offseason,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He’s added size and strength — you can see it in his throwing, in how he moves, and in the way he carries himself as the Vikings’ quarterback. He learned a lot last year, even if it didn’t go according to plan. But already, just three days into phase two on the field, you can tell — the players feel it, the coaches feel it, and I certainly do. Now the goal is to keep building on that progress as we move toward our first real competition in training camp.”
O’Connell: McCarthy is Owning It
Although O’Connell has tried to downplay external hype by refusing to name McCarthy as the starting quarterback, the Michigan alum is already proving himself to his coach.
“He’s embracing what it means to be the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings,” O’Connell said. “That includes everything—footwork, rhythm, timing, leading the huddle, commanding the offense, managing the cadence, and recognizing defensive looks to get us into the right plays. He’s taking charge.”
It remains to be seen when O’Connell will officially hand over the reins, but McCarthy seems to be on track to earn the starting role this summer.