Let’s hop in a time machine and take a trip back to August 2024.

The future looked bright for the Vikings, largely because of how rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy was progressing in training camp.

Never mind that journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold had been penciled in to be the starter. The growth that McCarthy had put on display was enough to make some wonder whether he could overtake Darnold.

The dazzling performance that McCarthy put forth for the Vikings in an exhibition game against the Las Vegas Raiders only added to the hype. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns while showcasing the skill and swagger that convinced the Vikings to select him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The wind was taken out of the sails roughly 48 hours later when McCarthy reported soreness in his right knee. Shortly thereafter, exploratory surgery revealed a torn meniscus that needed to be fully repaired. McCarthy’s rookie campaign was over before it even got started.

The official announcement came on Aug. 14, 2024, when head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed reporters before joint practice between the Vikings and the Cleveland Browns. O’Connell spoke of McCarthy with a conviction that hasn’t been heard since.

“He’s confirmed everything that I hoped to see,” O’Connell said at the time. “Everybody should be excited about the fact that we’ve got our young franchise quarterback in the building.”

Now, juxtapose that statement with the lukewarm response O’Connell provided about McCarthy on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium after the Vikings earned a 16-3 win over the Green Bay Packers. Asked if he felt comfortable with McCarthy being the starter for the Vikings moving forward, O’Connell meandered his way through a politically correct answer, trying his best not to make any sort of declaration.

“I think he’s improved,” O’Connell said. “I can’t wait to work with him.”

Not once did O’Connell declare McCarthy to be the young franchise quarterback like he did 16 months ago. Why would he with the resume McCarthy has put together since taking over as the starter?

There’s absolutely nothing that suggests McCarthy should be handed the keys to the car once again, not without some form of competition. He simply hasn’t proven to be somebody the Vikings can rely on.

The raw numbers are a big concern as McCarthy has struggled by virtually every standard metric. He completed a mere 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, all while throwing less than 250 times total.

It doesn’t matter that McCarthy showed signs of improvements here and there in wins over the Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. He set the bar so low for himself that he was bound to trend upward at some point. It shouldn’t be praiseworthy that McCarthy no longer has to be mentioned in the same sentenced as JaMarcus Russell.

His inability is stay on the field might be an even bigger concern. Since drafting McCarthy, the Vikings have played 35 games. In that span, he only has started 10 games. After missing every game as a rookie last season, he missed some more games this year because of a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a broken hand. All those injuries occurred while he was trying to create outside the structure of the designed play.

It’s not so much that McCarthy gets injured. It’s that he constantly puts himself in position to get injured. He can’t help himself. Just look at the opening drive between the Vikings and the Packers for proof.

After completing a few passes to move the chains, McCarthy scrambled into to open space, delivered a nasty stiff arm in the open field, then, for some reason, decided to lower his shoulder against cornerback Keisean Nixon rather than simply run out of bounds. The decision to actually seek out contact was ridiculous.

A fake tough guy move shouldn’t be celebrated. He made it worse by garnering a taunting penalty in the aftermath.

“I got carried away,” McCarthy said. “I felt like I let my teammates down.”

The childish antics might be the biggest concern of them all as McCarthy hasn’t shown the maturity required to lead. You would think that the 22-year-old who got flamed on social media for creating an alter ego for himself would understand when it’s time to tone it down. He clearly hasn’t learned his lesson, and that’s a problem.

Asked if he feels like he’s earned the right to be the starter, McCarthy expressed confidence in himself before later acknowledging that it’s not necessarily up to him.

“They have their own opinion and own perspective,” McCarthy said. “I feel like I know they know who I am as an individual, and the potential and capability that this offense can have with me at the helm.”

Asked if he thinks the Vikings should bring in somebody to compete with McCarthy, star receiver Justin Jefferson wouldn’t take the bait. It’s never been his style to publicly call out his teammates. He puts his head down and goes to work regardless of who’s throwing him the ball.

“It is what it is,” Jefferson said. “It’s not really my job to make that call.”

The fact that it’s even a conversation right now is poof that the Vikings have at least lost some faith in McCarthy, who they once thought was their young franchise quarterback with everything in front of him.

Look no further than how much the messaging has changed from August 2024 to January 2026.

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