Vikings’ questionable plan behind J.J. McCarthy looks even more 'shaky' early in camp

One of the top offseason storylines across the entire NFL was the Minnesota Vikings’ plan at quarterback for 2025.

Run it back with Sam Darnold? Hand 22-year-old prospect J.J. McCarthy the keys? Add an experienced backup like Daniel Jones or Joe Flacco? Stun the NFL world by bringing in Aaron Rodgers?

The Vikings, of course, went with Door No. 2 — handing the keys of the franchise to McCarthy, their No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft who lost his entire rookie season to a torn meniscus in his right knee. Given his pedigree and cheap, rookie-scale contract, that move wasn’t a big surprise.

More surprising was how GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and crew filled out the quarterback depth chart behind their first-year starting QB.

After both Darnold (Seattle) and Jones (Indianapolis) left for new teams in free agency, the Vikings opted to pass on signing a quarterback completely with an eye on scoring premium 2026 draft capital via the NFL’s compensatory pick formula. That meant entering April’s draft with only two QBs — McCarthy and third-stringer Brett Rypien — on the roster.

Minnesota added two more quarterbacks that weekend, first acquiring young journeyman Sam Howell from the Seahawks for a modest swap of Day 3 draft picks. The Vikings then signed undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who spent the 2024 season leading P.J. Fleck’s Minnesota Golden Gophers.

It was easy to question the strategy then, but it’s even easier now that Howell has reportedly struggled behind McCarthy during the opening week of training camp.

Per The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, the Vikings’ backup quarterback situation is “off to a shaky start.”

Howell, 24, is a former fifth-round pick and is already spending training camp with his third NFL franchise. He was always a shaky option as McCarthy’s backup, especially with more proven vets like Joe Flacco, Cooper Rush and Gardner Minshew available during the first wave of free agency.

That Howell is reportedly struggling to catch on in practice against Brian Flores’ defense should come as no surprise. Here was Lewis’ take from the opening few sessions of camp:

Sam Howell has taken the majority of the backup QB reps. This makes sense. How can O’Connell and the Vikings assess what they have if they don’t throw him into the fire? And, to be clear, it is the fire, as most of Howell’s reps have been against the first-string defense.

The best way to sum up Howell’s performance is a beat too slow. Without the post-practice film, it’s impossible to assess each rep accurately. Is Howell taking a hitch because he’s not seeing the picture correctly, or is he waiting a split second extra because the receiver was rerouted by a cornerback? Whatever the case, it feels fair to say that Howell hasn’t consistently pulled the trigger promptly.

Lewis also mentioned Brosmer’s accuracy as a plus in his report for The Athletic, but that should be viewed as a footnote. Brosmer could feasibly win the No. 3 quarterback job from Rypien, but the top backup role is Howell’s alone to lose.

This will be a big training camp for Howell, who should get a ton of reps during the preseason based on the team’s reported playing-time plan for McCarthy. If he struggles, the Vikings could look more seriously into other options like Kirk Cousins (Falcons), Jameis Winston (Giants), Ryan Tannehill (free agent) or Carson Wentz (free agent).

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