EAGAN, Minn. — The end of J.J. McCarthy's debut season issued signs of improvement.

"You saw the flashes of the player we thought he could be," Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Tuesday. "So in that sense, I can't say that we were overconfident. Maybe the timing didn't work out with other aspects of our team, whether that be injuries or different things like that. But, ultimately, we're comfortable with where we are — and we're excited about where he can go."

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah took turns with Twin Cities media recapping the 9-8 2025 season nine days after Minnesota punctuated a five-game win streak with a decisive victory over the rival Packers. They are on the same page about the need for a deep and talented QB room in 2026.

More than anything, they see that makeup as a way to bring along McCarthy and "be competitive no matter what," said O'Connell, acknowledging factors outside the QB's control hampered that goal, too.

"We're still looking at a quarterback who has started 10 games — 10 out of a possible 34 in two years. Not the ideal path for a young quarterback to develop on the field. But I thought he did," O'Connell shared. "And J.J. McCarthy is a guy that 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 work to improve this offseason. … But I think a deep and talented quarterback room will only enhance his ability to do that."

In working with the first-year starter and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, as well as other young passers in the past, O'Connell vocalized the importance of regular-season game action — nothing else compares.

"The best thing that I can say as far as what I've learned is to continue to just be the best possible support for them, hold them accountable to the [principles] that you think are really important, try to craft game plans where you do everything in your power to make their job as easy as you possibly can, while knowing you're not going to be able to totally remove the difficulties of playing the quarterback position," O'Connell commented. "And nor do I think if you want to help a player reach his potential, [do] you want to totally be in a mode where you don't allow them to seek that growth. And we use that saying a lot around here, like, we don't want comfort seekers.

"And I think the quarterback position, you're never going to be — even the best players in our league at the position, those guys might get comfortable doing the difficult over a long period of time or with their individual skill sets," he added. "But it's always a challenge. Every defense, every week is a challenge. There's great coaching in this league, and we've got to match that as coaches, and that's where it starts with me. And I think I can do a better job."

Adofo-Mensah was asked if he prefers McCarthy to be the starter next season and answered by touting McCarthy's character and ability to be the person to lead the organization toward a Lombardi Trophy, but he didn't feel the need to bind the team into a specific timeline and instead clarified the collective mission.

"I want the Vikings to achieve our goals, and I think one of those goals is to make playoff runs," Adofo-Mensah said. "The way we've set this team up, we've built this core to really, like we've always talked about, give ourselves multiple shots at it because you never know when there's going to be a year where the field feels a little bit wide open and you can make that run. And so that's what we're really focused on, talking about whether it's this year or next year isn't really my immediate reflection. It's my job to really bring that deep competitive room that we've talked about to the Vikings."

Adofo-Mensah referenced his analysis of the quarterback spot alongside O'Connell since their 2022 hiring has revealed a standard for winning "when we've gotten a certain level of play at that position" that's allowed the offense to be explosive enough to set the table for the defense and special teams.

This past season, much like 2023, was doomed partially by injuries to McCarthy and veteran backup Carson Wentz, who joined the roster in late August. O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah have functioned with eight different players helming the most important position in sports in four seasons directing the team.

They were reminded there's a requirement for depth that is complementary and competitive.

"Knowing what the (2025 QB) room was play style-wise, experience-wise, and [now wanting to] just kind of really put together a better combination of people … that's kind of the thing I've probably focused on the most," Adofo-Mensah expressed. "And then ultimately, understanding how we play and win football games. Again, I'm not going to get into the specifics, how we group it, but we've won a high clip of games since we've been here when we've gotten a certain level of play (and) a certain style of explosive plays."

O'Connell views potential competition for McCarthy as integral to his Year 3 evolution.

"I think there has to be," O'Connell said, citing phenom receiver Justin Jefferson as an example of someone maximizing their talents via a competitive setting. "That's what's going to make everybody better in that room. It's going to be what makes our entire offense thrive through that competition.

"That should be how our entire organization looks at their individual roles when we compete against each other in the different aspects of the offseason," he added. "I ultimately think that's what will [prepare] not only the starter but the next guy and the next guy, and we've learned we've got to get a lot of guys ready to play. And we've got to do it with a responsibility of being the best version of our offense.

"What that looks like with the reps, I think it's all predicated on, obviously, J.J. is going to be a major, major emphasis for our staff and our team and me personally," O'Connell continued. "We'll figure out what that looks like as we navigate the early part of this offseason when it comes to managing the roster, and I know Kwesi and his staff will do a great job of that. But I think ultimately we've got to decide how to not only continue J.J.'s progression, allow him to continue to ascend as a young player, 22 years old, with 10 starts. [But], like I said, I think the competition in that room will only enhance our entire team."

While looking ahead, O'Connell offered context to his "exit interview" with McCarthy, and emphasized the awareness of fundamental corrections that are necessary to improve, including playing with a repeatable top of his drop back, whether it's quick game, or five- or seven-step concepts or play-action.

A balanced body position will help McCarthy activate whichever type of throw is appropriate, O'Connell said. Beyond that, coach and quarterback have talked a lot about attacking the voids and vacancies of the defense and the art of progressions, so that McCarthy can get the ball out of his hands more quickly.

The efficiency hinges in part on a proper base, keeping eyes aimed up, and smart navigation of the pocket — and leads to less self-correction during the play and more completions, which O'Connell reiterated have a negative effect on defenses, no matter if it generates 5 yards or a 60-yard touchdown.

"It's hard to do those jobs consistently if the foundation of playing the position at this level is not there," O'Connell concluded about McCarthy. "And I think he grew tremendously throughout the season and kind of [learned what that all feels like] and why it's important. And now he gets a full offseason to stack a lot of days — and knowing what it felt like for those 10 games — and hit the ground running doing so."

As Minnesota advances into the stages of the offseason, it must also weigh both aspects of the quarterback's lack of availability, so far. Adofo-Mensah pointed out McCarthy didn't miss any games at Michigan but also has played in the NFL just like he did in the Big Ten, with a mindset of "me vs. them."

"That's also what the great ones have," Adofo-Mensah stated regarding McCarthy's grit. "For me to sit here or anybody else to tell him to be a different version of himself when that's kind of the stuff that we want to be there in the end, it's a delicate balance. But I know that he wants it more than anybody I've ever been around, and he's got an offseason where he's going to have time to not rehab an injury."

Come August, the pecking order of the 2026 QB room will be formed in alignment between GM and coach: "I don't know that that can be something that's done in a fractured way," Adofo-Mensah said.

See the Vikings 2026 Opponents.

Check out the Vikings 2026 Draft Picks.

View future opponents for the Vikings.

Buy single game tickets.

Download the official Vikings App.