What Does Minnesota’s 2025 Roster Look Like If J.J. McCarthy Isn’t Ready?
The only thing that’s certain about the 2025 Minnesota Vikings is that nothing is certain.
On Thursday, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell will walk to a podium at the NFL Scouting Combine and toss a bunch of scenarios into the air without tipping their hand with what they will do in free agency.
It’s a routine that every NFL general manager has to master, or else they will get eaten alive during the offseason. However, they won’t touch on every scenario. While Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell will hit on things about Sam Darnold’s future, upgrading the offensive line, and whether they’ve had the shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo’s, their response on J.J. McCarthy’s health may be vague at best.
Would it be nice to put fans’ fears at ease if McCarthy is ready to go? Sure. But what if McCarthy isn’t ready to go? The Vikings are the only people in the world who know how close McCarthy is to becoming the starting quarterback in 2025.
If he needs more time, it could drastically shape the roster.
According to Over The Cap, the Vikings enter the offseason with $63.3 million in cap space. While that money gives them a ton of flexibility for what they want to do in free agency, it also gives them options for what they can do at quarterback.
In an ideal world, McCarthy would be healthy and open the rookie contract window. By playing on a deal with a $4.9 million cap hit for next season, the Vikings can fill their needs in free agency, assuming the players they acquire can fill a particular need.
