As I write this, Vikings quarterback and former Michigan darling J.J. McCarthy has entered concussion protocol, which likely means Max Brosmer will start against a Seattle Seahawks defense ranked fifth in EPA per play, seventh in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed.
That might be a good thing. Not because I’m spiteful — I actually think it’s good for McCarthy long-term.
A lot of people, including a fellow AMM sports reporter, have written about how we need to be patient with the kid and let him keep being the guy. And I don’t want what I’m about to write — about his ability to sling a football with force and velocity — to come across as a personal slight. By all accounts, he seems like a grounded person, a good teammate, engaged to be married, a father, and a personality I genuinely enjoy listening to.
I just don’t think he’s going to work in Minnesota.
What I saw against the Packers, and the Bears the week before, was a football player who appears fundamentally and mechanically flawed. Too many passes are thrown off an exaggerated stride with a firm insistence on attaching a ghost pepper to every throw — leading to flat, skidding, and inaccurate balls. His throwing motion is neither fluid nor quick, which may be muscle memory, a reaction to in-game pressure, limited natural arm flexibility, or some combination.
This would be passable if — like Kirk Cousins before him — he was extremely efficient post-snap: diagnosing coverages quickly, anticipating routes, progressing to checkdowns on time, or simply getting rid of the ball when pressured.
That isn’t happening right now.
Instead, he resembles a stationary target. He locks onto receivers, drifts in the pocket but doesn’t take off, and often fires high or forces contested balls. Other times, he holds the ball long enough to let the pass rush — which against Green Bay included the likes of Micah Parsons in hybrid pressure looks — erase him.
It would be different if McCarthy compensated with elite post-snap decision-making, or showed the athleticism of Bo Nix or Caleb Williams — quarterbacks who came out of the same draft class. So far, the only consistent strength I see in his game is that he throws to his first read with power. Everything else either needs significant mechanical work — slow processing speed, delayed pocket response — or borders on concerning. His inability to build chemistry with a receiving corps that includes Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, paired with the fact that Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones have been ripping off consistent 5- to 7-yard runs, makes it more glaring.
I’m not calling for him to be benched permanently. He’s 22 years old. He’s started six games. He’s shown flashes of being able to run a late-game offense.
But the problem with the “be patient” model — the see what you have model — is that, more often than not, it turns into a long-term problem if a quarterback keeps playing without addressing fundamentals. There’s a reason Bryce Young was benched early in 2024. There’s a reason you sit Zach Wilson when your defense is giving up 10 points and he’s throwing YOLO balls.
And most importantly — young quarterbacks who eventually turned into something better? They sat. Often for long stretches.
Sam Darnold was benched twice and served as a backup for three different teams before landing in Minnesota. Daniel Jones — now starring for the Colts — was benched while making millions. Kirk Cousins was a backup for three years in Washington before taking over full-time. Baker Mayfield was cut twice before finally settling and reforming his game.
When inexperienced quarterbacks keep starting while still in high-mechanics development, bad habits get reinforced. The more they take sacks without progressing mentally, the more their game deteriorates. That’s what we saw with McCarthy last Sunday. When the late-game spark was supposed to appear, it never did. Instead, he took hits until he left the game. And even before that, there was the moment he sat on his hands and knees, not injured, but mentally and physically drained — head down, unable to reset.
He could still become a very good quarterback in two or three years. His arm is legitimate. His intangibles — toughness, self-awareness, humility — are strong. He handles media well and doesn’t hide behind excuses.
I just don’t think it’s going to happen here — in Minnesota — especially after the latest outing, and now, given his concussion.