The Minnesota Vikings are going to be one of the more intriguing teams to watch this season. Despite putting up 14 wins in 2024, they'll be an almost entirely unproven commodity entering the 2025-26 campaign.
Quarterback Sam Darnold is gone, replaced by second-year passer JJ McCarthy after he missed all of last year with injury. McCarthy is essentially a rookie, and he'll have to make due with limited offensive weapons with just stud pass catcher Justin Jefferson available while running mates Jordan Addison (suspended three games) and Jalen Nailor (injury) won't be around for awhile.
That being said, Minnesota's recent roster moves at the QB position say a lot about how much confidence the team has in McCarthy's abilities. On Sunday, the Vikings traded backup passer Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles for a pair of future draft picks and then turned around to replace him with veteran free agent Carson Wentz.
Vikings give JJ McCarthy huge vote of confidence with roster moves
Granted, trading out Howell for Wentz isn't much of an upgrade (really, there isn't much of a difference between the two) but it should tell McCarthy that the Vikings have every confidence in him to find success this year.
If he were to get injured, then Minnesota might be in trouble having to start Wentz, although there's still a level of serviceability that should prevent any massive hemorrhaging. After all, Andy Reid trusted him to back up Patrick Mahomes last year. If Wentz doesn't work out, the Vikings only hope would be Max Brosmer, a rookie undrafted free agent out of the university just down the street in Minneapolis.
So while they are confident in McCarthy's abilities, there's still a lot of pressure being laid on his shoulders. Head coach Kevin O'Connell should be trusted, however, to design an offense around McCarthy's strengths and not ask any more of him than he can comfortably deliver.
If the 22-year-old can just go out there and minimize mistakes, then his talent alone should be enough to keep Minnesota in the NFC North and playoff races. Keep your eyes on the Vikings through Week 4, then you can begin to pass judgement depending on the results.