Vikings Give Up on QB as J.J. McCarthy Fails Kevin O’Connell’s Trust at Training Camp – Report

Is there ever truly a “safe” QB room in the NFL? Just ask any Vikings fan. And with J.J. McCarthy still finding his footing in the NFL, that sense of safety feels more imagined than real. “You definitely have to have patience,” star receiver Justin Jefferson told ESPN, referring to his new quarterback this week. But patience isn’t always a luxury teams can afford, especially when the offense is working through turbulence unseen by most of the fan base just two weeks into camp.

The scent of hope floated around Eagan as J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota’s prized rookie signal-caller, turned heads with his mix of testy competitiveness and flashes of uncanny arm talent. Reports from TCO Performance Center read like a quarterback evaluation in real time: McCarthy hit 9-of-12 in 11-on-11 drills, asserted himself in practice dust-ups (even shoving a linebacker to stand up for Aaron Jones), and delivered “balls with both zip and touch” on Saturday. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, meanwhile, made it clear he’s steering McCarthy’s growth with urgency, both in the classroom and on the field. “You have to have patience,” Jefferson emphasized, “He’s still new to the scheme, new to coming out here and throwing to these different receivers. So you have to have that patience”.

While McCarthy has flashed talent, insiders suggest O’Connell’s trust remains a work in progress with no guarantees offered just yet. But for all the hype, a shadow loomed over Minnesota’s camp: if McCarthy’s “the guy,” who’s got the clipboard if things go south? The plot thickened Friday when Brett Rypien, recently lauded for his football IQ and preparation skills, was abruptly waived by the team to make room for Daniel Jones. Rypien, brought in as a quiet insurance policy in spring, had just begun splitting meaningful reps with Sam Howell, the supposedly “safe” veteran backup who’s had a lackluster camp — “routinely putting interceptions on tape against second-string defenders” per the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. That’s not the kind of stability you want behind a 22-year-old QB1 coming off a knee injury.

For the Vikings, the calculus is brutal but clear: trust in McCarthy is high, but the margin for error is razor thin, as he even had a clear message from the defense. The franchise’s 2025 approach to the position group is pure high-wire act: lean all-in on McCarthy’s ceiling, patchwork the depth behind him, and hope a third-round compensatory pick (from letting Sam Darnold walk) justifies not signing a seasoned backup. It’s a calculated risk that could pay off, or backfire by Thanksgiving if QB depth is tested again.

With Rypien out and Howell struggling, the Vikings’ gamble on J.J. McCarthy takes the stage 

The Vikings’ decision to cut Brett Rypien signaled more than just a roster shuffle; it was a verdict on the team’s contingency plans behind center. While O’Connell repeatedly expressed confidence in McCarthy, whispers around TCO hint that the staff is “playing with fire at the quarterback position”. Rypien was viewed internally as a “coach-in-waiting,” someone whose acumen propped up an unsteady depth chart, but not enough to hold a gameday roster spot when the chips were down.

Sam Howell, meanwhile, still sits as the tenuous QB2 despite a plodding start to camp by his standards. Sources indicate Howell’s job is only temporarily secure: “If they found something they liked that worked in a trade, I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way to make something happen. I don’t think that’s a settled issue at this point,” Goessling said. For McCarthy, that means any slip-ups in August could open the door for more dramatic moves with either a trade or waiver-wire pull for a veteran if the Vikings sour on Howell as the only real insurance policy.

Still, McCarthy remains the story. “There weren’t many incompletions,” SI’s Will Ragatz wrote after Saturday’s padded practice, highlighting the rookie’s increasing accuracy and poise. “He was decisive and he was accurate, delivering balls with both zip and touch… The fans in attendance had plenty to cheer about.” But it won’t soothe front office nerves if the backup question lingers into September.

As the preseason approaches, the energy in Eagan is a strange cocktail: optimism shaded by real concern, the kind only NFL insiders recognize before the lights come on for real. Leadership, arm strength, and flashes of brilliance, and McCarthy has shown all three. But in the NFL, you’re only as safe as your next snap.

Will rolling the dice on depth cost them when it matters most, or will McCarthy’s rise make the entire question feel academic by season’s end? In Minnesota, the only certainty for now is the uncertainty under center.