O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah addressed the Vikings’ QB room, signaling competition and the need for improved play in 2026.
No team in the league had more disappointing quarterback play than the Minnesota Vikings. It wasn't enough that they ranked 29th in passing yards and tied for 28th in EPA (expected points added) per pass (-0.24). They saw former Vikings quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones flourish with their new teams in 2025, pouring salt into the wound.
Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah held their season-ending press conferences on Tuesday. They weren't willing to dismiss J.J. McCarthy from their 2026 plans entirely, but they made it clear that there will be competition at quarterback next season.
"I think it's about having the most talented and deep quarterback room you can," O'Connell said when asked how he currently views the room. "We've played eight guys over the course of four years at different times... in the season. And the schedule comes.... and we learned that across our whole team, whether it was the offensive line or some of the other injuries we had to deal with, [that] depth matters across your team."
Adofo-Mensah also declined to dismiss McCarthy entirely, while acknowledging the passing game needs to improve significantly. The Vikings ranked sixth, fifth, and sixth in passing yards from 2022-24 despite starting five different quarterbacks.
"I think in my conversation with Kevin, and just doing analysis we've done, we've set a standard here for winning when we've gotten a certain level of play in that position," Adofo-Mensah told reporters. "[That allows] us to be explosive enough on offense to set the table for how we play defense, special teams, and different things like that. So our conversation is about returning the room to a competitive, deep-enough standpoint to get that play style, that ability to win games for, you know, 17-plus games this season."
Part of why the Vikings struggled in the first half of the season was their defensive injuries. EDGE rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, linebacker Blake Cashman, and safety Harrison Smith all missed time. That played a role in two of Minnesota's first seven opponents rushing for over 200 yards.
But as Adofo-Mensah said, the Vikings' offensive struggles affected how opposing teams attacked Brian Flores' defense. Because Minnesota couldn't generate big plays or put points on the board, teams could play conservatively on offense and count on the Vikings' offense to sputter and fail to make them pay.
After forcing five turnovers in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Vikings' defense only forced two turnovers over the next eight games. Only once in those eight games did a team score over 30 points and eclipse the 400-yard mark (the Chargers did both in Week 8). Minnesota went 2-6 in those games.
That's why the Vikings need elevated play from McCarthy and the rest of the quarterback room in 2026. Their play doesn't just affect the passing game. It affects how the defense is called and how opponents approach the game.
When discussing McCarthy’s unconventional early-career development — split between injuries, roster shuffling, and limited game reps — O’Connell acknowledged that the lack of continuity hasn’t been ideal.
"We're still looking at a quarterback who's started 10 games out of a possible 34 in two years," O'Connell said. "[That's] not the ideal path for a young quarterback to develop on the field.
"I thought he did some really good things," O'Connell continued. "And J.J. McCarthy is a guy [who] wants to be great. I know he's going to work tirelessly to do that.
"I know his teammates have a lot of confidence in what he's going to [improve] on this offseason and come back and have a great offseason and be ready to hit the ground running in 2026."
Does that mean that McCarthy will be the team's starter in 2026? O'Connell didn't explicitly confirm he would, nor did O'Connell say that McCarthy can't benefit from added competition.
"But I think a deep and talented quarterback room will only enhance his ability to do that and [I] look forward to being a part of that process."