J.J. McCarthy Injury: Could face competition this year
Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski said Tuesday that the Vikings are "exploring all possibilities" at quarterback, a scenario that could lead to McCarthy (hand) facing competition for the team's starting job, Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
As the coming season approaches, the report notes that Vikings are aiming to see a "baseline" level of quarterback play that's higher than what they had in 2025, a campaign in which McCarthy dealt with multiple injuries, including a right hand issue that forced him out of the team's regular-season finale. When asked if he still believes McCarthy -- the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft -- can be a franchise quarterback, coach Kevin O'Connell said, "I believe the answer to that question is yes.'" That said, Brzezinski's comments suggest that the Vikings could look to explore bringing in signal-caller help via various avenues. With that in mind, as NFL free agency looms next month, Brzezinski noted "we have a couple of weeks, and so we're just exploring every option that could be out there. We're casting a wide net."
