Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Reflects on Early Struggles and Accountability
Minnesota Vikings QB got very honest recently in a session with the media regarding his early struggles.
Both on film and via the metrics, McCarthy has been indisputably pretty bad to begin his NFL career. Sure, he had a couple big moments. His comeback in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears and big win over the Lions and Week 9 are some iconic highlights in Vikings lore.
Outside of all of that though, the kid has struggled mightily with the simplest of things. He is miss receivers very high, and holding on to the ball way too long. Even with the best pass blocking performance of the season by the Vikings offensive line in Week 11, he struggled a lot.
J.J. McCarthy isn’t backing away from the heat, though. Per a report from The Viking Age, the 22-year-old opened up to the media about his struggles.
J.J. McCarthy Gets Honest About Early Struggles
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings opens up about early-season struggles with the media on Wednesday.
Consider McCarthy’s explanation, per that report from The Viking Age:
“I would say just my posture. The way that I’m processing the defense in terms of I know what I’m getting, but let the rhythm of the play play out. You know, don’t be getting to that answer too quick because it’s a timing and rhythm of the concepts and the defenses.
And just decision-making. Just understanding the situation of the game, not just the concept that I’m trying to execute.
Understand, like, for instance, that first pick last game, it’s four minutes going into half, we’re on our own side of the territory, and just understand what that risk factor should be and go from there.
So I’d say those things.”
Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy reveals reasoning as to why he’s struggling early on in his NFL career
Within his struggles though is a small nugget of something that could be spun as a positive. For whatever reason, J.J. McCarthy is pretty good on the road. All of his struggles have come at home. This is probably just coincidence, though, as Minnesota has had a lot of home games for contests that McCarthy has actually been healthy.
A Hopeful Road Ahead For Vikings Fans
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy talks with head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Quarterback development can take a while. J.J. McCarthy doesn’t necessarily have to have it all figured out yet. However, the complete lack of accuracy and throwing balls with touch by the kid is quite concerning.
Fortunately, that is something that can be fixed. J.J. McCarthy badly just needs to settle down and focus on the fundamentals. His leg very often whips out when he is throwing the ball, leading to a lot of these throws that are off of the mark.
Continued work on refining his mechanics by head coach Kevin O’Connell and QB coach Josh McCown can go a long way in fixing these issues. The NFL is very fast right now for McCarthy, but it is completely possible that it slows down for him soon.
It is great to see that the kid is self-aware for the issues to his game, and Vikings fans everywhere are still more than justified to place hope upon the kid.
Seahawks Projected To Land 20-Year-Old Defensive Stud in 2026 NFL Draft
While there’s still plenty left for Seahawks fans to focus on in the 2025 season, it’s never too early for a mock draft. ESPN recently released a 2026 NFL mock draft, and it linked Seattle to an interesting prospect. As always, a lot will change between now and April, but what makes this mock draft stand out is that it could be a clue for how the Seahawks handle several other offseason decisions.
Seattle would hold the No. 27 overall pick based on their current record. At that spot, Matt Miller, an NFL draft analyst for ESPN, paired the Seahawks with Brandon Cisse, a cornerback at the University of South Carolina.
Brandon Cisse’s Draft Profile
Cisse is in his junior year at South Carolina. He’s already had a strong season for the Gamecocks, but at just 20 years old, he could offer a lot of upside for growth even after being drafted. In 10 games this season, Cisse has 22 tackles, four pass deflections, and one interception. He’s also added 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
“Sometimes a prospect’s skill set fits so perfectly with an NFL team that the match seems inevitable,” Miller writes for ESPN. “That’s the case with Cisse and Mike Macdonald’s defense in Seattle. The explosive, quick Cisse has become one of the nation’s top cornerbacks after transferring from NC State, allowing only seven completions on 23 passes into his coverage while picking off one pass.”
Charlie Campbell, a senior draft analyst for WalterFootball, discussed Cisse’s draft stock with five NFL teams and writes, “[Four teams] had him projected to be a late first-round or early second-round pick, and one team had him as a second-rounder.” Campbell adds, “With a quality skill set and good tape, I have Cisse going in the back half of the first round of my latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft.”
Cisse is listed at 6-feet, 190 pounds. While not a physical outlier, that’s sufficient NFL size for a cornerback. In an article for 247Sports, Hale McGranahan says Cisse has played both on the boundary and in the slot. “A majority of [Cisse’s] 361 snaps in 2024 were at an outside cornerback position,” McGranahan says, adding, “Most of his action in 2023 was from a slot position.”
What the Draft Pick Means for the Seahawks
Seattle’s secondary will be in an ambiguous place once the 2025 season ends. Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe are both set to become unrestricted free agents in the offseason. If John Schneider were to spend his 2026 first-round pick on Cisse, it could mean Woolen and Jobe both hit the open market.
The Athletic’s Michael- Shawn Dugar wrote that the decision to re-sign the cornerback duo remains up in the air. That’s to be expected. It’s an offseason issue, not one worth dealing with while the Seahawks push for an NFC West title.
Dugar adds that two other cornerbacks on Seattle’s roster, Nehemiah Pritchett and Derion Kendrick, will factor into the decision as well. “There’s a scenario in which Seattle would choose between Jobe and Woolen, then re-sign Kendrick on a near-minimum contract (Jobe re-signed on a $2 million deal last year) as a potential replacement for the other,” he writes.
A few weeks ago, Woolen seemed all but gone. He was embroiled in trade speculation early in the season due to poor play. However, he’s performed much better over the last few weeks, making a possible decision between him and Jobe more difficult for Seattle.
ESPN’s Matt Miller sees the future crossroads too, especially if Seattle pursues a cornerback in the 2026 NFL Draft. He writes, “Devon Witherspoon is a star at one corner spot, but Cisse would balance out the secondary opposite him, especially with Riq Woolen set to become an unrestricted free agent.”
