Vikings faltered with J.J. McCarthy. A publication predicts a significant QB upgrade, potentially bringing in Mac Jones to revitalize their offense.
We have reached the pinnacle of the NFL season. The Super Bowl is set between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
The Vikings did not make the Super Bowl this season, but their quarterback from a season ago, Sam Darnold, did. Darnold did so after leading the Seahawks to a 14-3 record, the same that the Vikings had with him a year earlier. And in many ways the signal caller was a driving force for the team's success.
Last year, Darnold went for 35 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and over 4,300 yards with a 66.2 completion percentage and a passer rating of 110.7. The Vikings' 2025 starter was not as effective.
Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy went for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, a 57.6 completion percentage and a passer rating of 72.6 on 243 passing attempts, less than half of Darnold's 545 attempts in his final season in Minnesota.
The bad news is, the Vikings got it wrong by letting Darnold go. That is, if they wanted to compete for a title this season. The good news is, the team can make it right this offseason, and one publication is predicting they will.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) rolls out against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Kevin Ng-Imagn ImagesJustin Carter of Fansided predicted the starting quarterback for each NFL franchise. He has the Vikings adding a player similar to Darnold in terms of ability and circumstances. Carter predicts the Vikings will bring in San Francisco quarterback Mac Jones.
"The Vikings have made it clear that J.J. McCarthy needs competition at quarterback. McCarthy's play in 2025 has made it clear that that competition needs to be someone who you can feasibly start over McCarthy.
Minnesota did a great job just two seasons ago with Sam Darnold under center, and it made sense to enter 2025 with the belief that Darnold's growth was a product of coaching and could be replicated by McCarthy. That was far from the reality of the situation, but I do think there's a sliver of truth there in that Minnesota's offense is built so a solid quarterback can look really good. McCarthy just might not be solid.
Enter Mac Jones. The former first-round pick went 5-3 as the 49ers starter this season, completing 69.6 percent of his pass attempts and throwing touchdowns on a career-high 4.5 percent of his pass attempts. Jones is a better quarterback than McCarthy and should be available on the trade market."
Were you to make a wish list for quarterbacks the Vikings could add, the list would include the rumored pipe dream, Cincinnati Bengals signal caller Joe Burrow, veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. Even so, Mac Jones is certainly on the list, too. Jones would pose a significant upgrade for the Vikings after a productive season in relief of Brock Purdy.
In eight games as a starter, Jones completed 69.6% of his passes, adding 2,151 yards and 13 touchdowns to six interceptions, a clear upgrade over this season's version of McCarthy. Jones went 5-3 as a starter this season.
The Vikings will hope to add a player of his caliber or better this offseason.