J.J. McCarthy, Kevin O'Connell and the story behind the Vikings' disappointing 2025 season
SOURCE:The Athletic|BY:Alec Lewis
The Kevin O'Connell-J.J. McCarthy pairing has yet to live up to expectations in what has been an underwhelming season for the Vikings.
In April of 2024, a conversation inside a Minnesota church transitioned from Christ to quarterback.
Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings’ head coach, sat in front of an attentive audience at St. Philip the Deacon in Plymouth, Minn. The church had invited him as a special guest speaker. For more than an hour, O’Connell shared his perspective on faith and leadership. A casual Q&A eventually brought him back to football.
One Vikings fan, standing in the pews and wearing a purple and gold hoodie, asked O’Connell about Tom Brady. Another gentleman went for the jugular, seeing if the coach would offer his evaluations of Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy.
O’Connell’s response helps to explain the puzzle that is the Vikings’ present at the quarterback position:
“For a couple of years, I’ve been kinda known as the quarterback killer when it comes to the draft in Eagan (at our facility) because the feeling that I feel from our fan base is, ‘When we get this next guy, he’s going to be the guy,’” O’Connell said. “And I feel it. I know you guys all feel it. So, I have had to, in a lot of ways, fight off mistakes from being made.”
His comment contained an important truth: The Vikings, as an organization, had coveted a young quarterback for years.
Veteran Kirk Cousins, coupled with the roster his contract allowed the front office to build, provided a playoff-caliber floor. The team’s leadership, tired of early postseason exits, preferred a Super Bowl-level ceiling. So, the Vikings offered Cousins a short-term deal in free agency, though he accepted a four-year, $180 million offer from the Atlanta Falcons. Later that April, with the deck cleared, Minnesota traded up a spot in the first round and selected McCarthy with the 10th pick.
Not even O’Connell rejected the premise of leaving behind good to potentially become great. But this message seemed to be his way of cautioning fans about the risks that could come with the all-in bet the Vikings were determined to make.
Long seen as a quarterback whisperer, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has weathered some tough early days with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy. (Robert Deutsch / Imagn Images)
How did this happen?
How did a 14-win team fall off so quickly?
How did the NFL’s most expensive roster fail to make the playoffs in 2025_?_
The short answer is that the Vikings paired McCarthy, a raw, 22-year-old quarterback, with a flawed but ready-to-win veteran roster. The longer answer is more nuanced, in many ways a cautionary tale, as the Vikings now find themselves in a precarious position in a young and improved NFC North.
As the season winds to a close, Minnesota is staring down an offseason of major questions. Quarterback decisions will carry the most weight, but staff turnover (even beyond defensive coordinator Brian Flores) could create additional developmental hurdles. From a roster perspective, the Vikings will have to save money where they can while addressing an abundance of positional needs.
Projecting the path forward requires a full autopsy. And that begins with a brief review of how the Vikings first settled on McCarthy.
Because Minnesota had Cousins in 2022 and ‘23, and because the team didn’t pigeonhole itself into drafting a quarterback via its public messaging, it felt comfortable passing on Kenny Pickett and Will Levis.
Being picky was less of an option in 2024.
Not only did Cousins depart that spring, which was a decision influenced by the Vikings’ private admission that they were likely going to select a quarterback early in the draft, but Minnesota’s expensive and aging roster required reinforcements that a rookie QB contract made possible.
The Vikings didn’t mask their intent. They visited quarterback prospects in college towns across the country. Other prospects visited them. In plenty of high-profile interviews, O’Connell reiterated his high regard for the talent of the 2024 QB class.
O’Connell kept his grades close to the vest, but most believed that the team really liked Maye, now an MVP candidate with the New England Patriots. Because the Vikings won multiple midseason games in 2023 with acquired quarterback Josh Dobbs, keeping the team relevant in a way that often aligns with ownership’s preference, their draft position (No. 11) left them needing to find a team willing to part with a premium pick. This was also something O’Connell insinuated in his original answer to the gentleman’s question that April day inside St. Philip the Deacon.
“When you feel like you find that guy,” O’Connell told the churchgoers, “you’ve got to hope that 31 other teams are complicit in making sure they can become a Minnesota Viking.”
The gentleman responded, “Maybe you can work your Patriots connections at No. 3.”
O’Connell was drafted by the Patriots and played for them in 2008.
“I may or may not have sent a nice bouquet of flowers to (Patriots owner) Robert Kraft the other day,” O’Connell joked.
On draft night, Chicago, Washington and New England held firm with the first three picks and, respectively, took quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Maye. Once the Falcons surprised the NFL with their selection of Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8, the Vikings were left with two options: McCarthy or Bo Nix.
Ostensibly, they faced a decision: Upside with uncertainty? Or experience with uncertainty?
Minnesota chose the former, trading up a spot to get McCarthy, knowing even then that his touch and footwork needed ample time and refinement.
With O’Connell at the helm, the team firmly put its trust in its infrastructure for development. Even after McCarthy tore his meniscus and missed his rookie season, the same hopeful conviction accompanied Minnesota’s choice to roll with him as the starter for 2025 — even though many inside the building were skeptical about his readiness.
Second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy has 1,450 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in nine starts this season. (Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
Long before the Vikings spent two exhausting weeks in Europe, the stress of what the Vikings were attempting was visible.
The offense spun its wheels throughout training camp.
McCarthy’s play was up and down, while backup quarterback Sam Howell turned the ball over constantly, complicating any comparative evaluation. One afternoon, during a press conference, O’Connell glanced upward through black glasses and said, “The sky is not falling. So, all good.”
The routes the Vikings didn’t take at quarterback added to the angst, especially for O’Connell, whose perspective on the position has helped shape the organization’s choices.
Minnesota opted not to push to keep Sam Darnold following a 2024 season in which he and the team wildly overachieved before losing in the first round of the playoffs. The team rejected Aaron Rodgers’ desire to play in Minnesota for a minimal salary. The Vikings even offered Daniel Jones a comparable deal to the Colts and pitched him on competing for the starting job with McCarthy. Jones viewed the Colts’ offer as more advantageous long term.
None of these options were no-brainers, even if they all had meaningful supporters inside the building. Had Darnold returned and struggled, the external push for McCarthy would have intensified and become difficult to navigate. Rodgers’ presence would have come with its own hoopla. His arrival would have also kept McCarthy on the back burner.
So, in the end, the Vikings’ key decision-makers forged ahead with McCarthy, believing their surrounding talent and intentional play calling would buoy him at a manageable baseline.
But there were failures on nearly every front.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah greets former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins before a Week 2 game against the Falcons. (David Berding / Getty Images)
The Vikings’ lack of draft success since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah arrived in 2022 forced them to build the roster through free agency. In the spring of 2025, Minnesota spent aggressively on center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries, two players with serious injury risks. Their production hasn’t matched their contracts. The Vikings also swung on aging interior defenders Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, two more players the Vikings knew didn’t match their long-term timeline. Both have been outplayed by undrafted defensive tackle Jalen Redmond.
Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who was coming off a torn ACL and MCL, played in only 10 games. His inconsistent availability, playing some full games but exiting early in others, contributed to a league-high 17 offensive-line combinations, according to Next Gen Stats. Injuries to edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and linebacker Blake Cashman ate away at a defense that needed to be airtight.
Once-reliable receivers dropped passes. The run game remained inconsistent. The Howell miscalculation led to the eventual signing of Carson Wentz, whose arrival days before the season underscored the questionable plan at quarterback.
McCarthy’s inconsistent play and frequent injuries featured prominently in the team’s disappointing campaign, too. His early-season inaccuracies resulted in weeks of discussion about the minutiae of throwing mechanics. The Vikings also removed staple passing concepts from their system, wanting to make the throwing windows as clear as possible.
Until McCarthy’s Week 14 showing against the Commanders, perhaps the most revealing image of the 2025 season was a snapshot of the young quarterback in the sweaty, postgame Green Bay locker room. He stared directly at his locker with a blank look on his face. A concussion diagnosis would come the following day.
It seemed fair to wonder then how the Vikings would reach the finish line, much less how they’d proceed into the future.
At the season’s lowest point, O’Connell stood in front of the Vikings players and coaches and talked about trust.
“I said this in the spring,” he said, “but there are two components to trust.”
He discussed character and competence. A camera in the room panned to Jefferson, who epitomized the subject matter. Few have been as open about his frustrations as the 26-year-old superstar. In sideline shots, he has stewed. After losses, he has looked miserable.
Through all of it, though, he has done what most of the key figures in the organization have done. He has pushed past his despondence for the greater good.
That’s how the Vikings responded to being shut out in Seattle in Week 13 with four straight wins. That’s how the Vikings have polished the ending to what could have been a nightmare.
Despite having a relatively quiet season, Vikings superstar receiver Justin Jefferson has remained supportive of young quarterback J.J. McCarthy. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Flores’ defense shouldered the load through this stretch, but some positives have surfaced in the bigger picture. Kicker Will Reichard put together perhaps the most impressive season at his position in franchise history. Edge rusher Dallas Turner confirmed his evolution. And then there’s McCarthy, who showcased enough accuracy and decisiveness in Weeks 14 through 16 to offer some glimpses of hope that could complicate the Vikings’ approach at the position moving forward.
As much as anything else, the strategy might hinge on whether or not O’Connell views the current structure of the offense as viable. In 2024, the Vikings targeted in-breakers on 34.3 percent of their passes, according to Next Gen Stats, which ranked as the third highest behind the 49ers and Lions. This season, that number decreased to 25.4 percent, the third lowest.
The Vikings’ screen rate is astronomical this season. Most of their attempts are directed away from the seams and toward the sidelines.
Sticking with McCarthy as the surefire starter heading into 2026 would be a powerful statement in the youngster’s favor. But O’Connell will be entering his fifth season and has yet to earn a playoff win.
Other topics are relevant in the big picture. Retaining Flores is paramount. The Vikings will also have to sift through plenty of positional coaches whose contracts end after this season.
Deciding what to do with tight end T.J. Hockenson, Kelly and Hargrave will have ripple effects throughout the roster. Depth is needed at tackle, cornerback and safety. They also must review their draft process.
But all conversations usually revert back to the quarterback, and rightfully so. The Vikings once had the stomach to make the all-in bet to reach the mountaintop. Sometimes all it takes is a trying season like this to covet the comfort of good.
