"Vikings fans were watching warmups in December when an in-house camera began panning the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium. It stopped at a group holding a homemade poster. The top of the poster read: "All I want for Christmas" On the bottom was an image of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, whose late-season musings about his future have sparked speculation that he could change teams during the offseason."
"There is no better symbol of the Vikings' season than fans wishing for a new quarterback only four months after the team installed 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy -- the talented and charismatic 2024 first-round draft pick who had the fan base swooning this summer. McCarthy's performance, when he wasn't missing seven games because of three separate injuries, was at times so concerning that it was reasonable to suggest he should be replaced after one season."
"McCarthy demonstrated some progress during a December winning streak, but it came in games against three of the NFL's worst defenses. Entering Week 18, McCarthy's QBR (33.9) ranks 46th out of 58 quarterbacks who have made at least one start. He has had only two games with more than 200 passing yards. "At times, I feel like I let my teammates down and my coaches down," McCarthy said, "and that's the hardest thing for me. But the most encouraging thing is seeing them pick"
Vikings fans openly longed for a different quarterback despite the team having drafted 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy in 2024. McCarthy missed seven games due to three separate injuries and produced inconsistent results that prompted realistic discussion of a replacement after one season. League sources expect the Vikings to show renewed interest in adding a starting-caliber veteran to pair with and potentially compete against McCarthy to strengthen a weakened quarterback room. McCarthy showed some progress during a December winning streak, but much of that play came against some of the NFL's weakest defenses, and his QBR ranked near the bottom of starters.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]