Howie: McCarthy starts, wallet stays shut — welcome to the new Vikings

Let’s just ask it flat out, Viking faithful: Do the Vikings actually believe in J.J. McCarthy, or is this just the latest chapter in our long-running series, “Quarterbacking on a Budget”?

Because when you zoom out — past the press conference platitudes, past the slick draft-night edits of J.J. grinning in a purple cap — the real story might not be about unshakable belief in the kid. It might be about roster math, salary cap triage, and a front office deciding it was finally time to stop chasing Kirk Cousins’ mid-tier floor at top-tier money.

The Quarterback Pivot: Faith or Frugality?

Here’s the reality: The Vikings didn’t outbid Atlanta for Cousins. They could’ve. They didn’t. Instead, they turned the page, pocketed the cap space, and drafted a 21-year-old quarterback who hadn’t thrown a football in live action since college — and who missed his entire rookie season rehabbing an injury.

That’s not exactly the kind of iron-clad QB succession plan that screams “franchise cornerstone.” That’s a calculated risk. That’s a reset — financially and philosophically.

They’re not paying McCarthy big money (yet). They don’t owe him anything emotionally. And frankly, if he flames out? They’ll just do what most of the league does now — draft another one.

This isn’t faith. It’s flexibility.

That Said... They Like the Kid

Now, don’t get it twisted. Kevin O’Connell hand-picked McCarthy. He scouted him, Zoom-called him, grilled him, and stood on a table for him. And McCarthy does check a lot of O’Connell’s boxes: quick processor, coachable, moves well, can execute a timing-based system with rhythm and anticipation.

He’s also got the swagger and toughness to command a locker room full of veterans — which is no small thing when you're asking Justin Jefferson to run full-speed routes for a kid who was watching from a medical tent last year.

But let’s not pretend McCarthy walked into this job. The Vikings didn’t sign a bridge quarterback to block him — they didn’t even really try. They rolled the dice on him winning the job by default, not dominance.

And in 2025, that might be enough.

The Real Strategy: Roster-Building from the Inside Out

Here’s what this is really about: building a roster that doesn’t depend on the quarterback to bail everyone out every Sunday.

By going young — and cheap — at QB, the Vikings were able to:

• Extend Jefferson without blinking
• Add two starting-caliber offensive linemen
• Pay Aaron Jones to bring leadership and toughness
• Build a Brian Flores defense with speed and chaos

You can’t do that when you’re shelling out $45 million a year to an immobile statue behind center. The Vikings learned that the hard way. So now they’re trying it a different way.

And maybe — just maybe — they stumbled into something that could work.

Final Word

Do they believe in McCarthy? Sure. To a point. He’s smart, tough, and O’Connell thinks he can mold him into a top-15 guy in two years. But this isn’t some Patrick Mahomes plan. This is a franchise hedging, playing poker with a rookie contract and seeing how far they can stretch the rest of the hand.

If it works, McCarthy becomes the Prince of Purple. If it doesn’t, the Vikings will reload, draft again, and keep rolling.

That’s the NFL now. Rookies get thrown into the fire and either become gold or ash. The Vikings lit the match.

We’re about to see which.

––
Howie Hanson is editor and publisher of HowieHanson.com. He once called for a fourth preseason game just to figure out who can block.