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Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has a lot of motivational material from Super Bowl week to fuel him this offseason. From Sam Darnold reaching the big game to his own teammates taking indirect digs at him, it can all serve as motivation.
Nonetheless, the question this offseason for the Vikings is whether they will back McCarthy as their starter and bring in a reliable backup, or look for a QB to challenge him for the job. Then there’s the other option of finding one that can replace him outright.
Amid talk about Minnesota’s signal-caller situation, NBC Sports NFL analyst and former Vikings defensive coordinator Tony Dungy was asked whether the team should pursue a QB to challenge McCarthy this offseason.
“[Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell] knows quarterbacks, and he’ll get J.J. going,” Dungy told Vikings Entertainment Network’s Tatum Everett in a video posted on Feb. 5. “I don’t know, for the good quarterbacks that I’ve been around, it hasn’t been competition that’s driven them. Peyton Manning didn’t need competition in the room to be good. His competition was everybody else. He wanted to be the best in the world.
“I’m sure J.J. has that too. Sometimes that mentorship can be there, though, that veteran quarterback that’s good that can help out and help bring J.J. along, as well as the coaching staff. So, they’ll get the right people and the right pieces in place.”
Justin Jefferson Willing to Work With Vikings QB J.J McCarthy
During a Feb. 5 appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio, Justin Jefferson answered whether he would want to play with former Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Nonetheless, he made it clear his job right now is to ensure McCarthy is ready for next season.
“Until something changes or until I hear the word that somebody else is coming in, it’s my job, and I feel like it’s my need to get J.J. to where we need to go, which is working out with each other, building that relationship, building that connection to get better and to not let this past season happen again, because we feel like there’s different times where we could have won that game or could have had a better stretch than what we had,” Jefferson added.
J.J. McCarthy Gets Indirect Dig
McCarthy had a passer rating of 72.6 with 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games in 2025, per StatMuse. This production is far from elite, and even Jefferson took an indirect shot at McCarthy, noting that because he doesn’t have a top-tier QB, his status as the NFL’s best wideout is being questioned.
“Obviously, I have to depend on a lot of people for me to get that ball,” Jefferson said on the Feb. 5 edition of “First Things First.” “So if I don’t have an elite quarterback that’s throwing me the ball the entire year, then it’s a little bit difficult to be in those conversations.
“Having a young quarterback that’s still learning the game and still learning his potential in this league, you have those difficult seasons, which I had this past year. So I still think that I’m still [the] No. 1 [wide receiver in the NFL].
“I still think that no one in this league can cover me man to man. That’s without a doubt. So my confidence level will always be high, and I always will feel that I’m number one in my eyes.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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