Vikings need to see if J.J. McCarthy will succeed, or fail, at NFL level

It’s time.

When the Vikings play their next game, nine days from now against the Lions, they need to see what quarterback J.J. McCarthy can do.

His high ankle sprain was, we’re told, was a 4-6 week injury. The Week 9 game will land seven weeks from when it happened. And he’s been healthy enough for the past two games to serve as Minnesota’s emergency quarterback. Which means that, if Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer had been injured or ejected, McCarthy would have played.

If he’s healthy enough to play, it’s time to play. Because it’s time for the Vikings to find out what they have. Or what they don’t.

Is two years enough to make a decision? It wasn’t for the Colts, who benched Anthony Richardson for Daniel Jones after Richardson’s second year.

Franchise quarterbacks stay healthy. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in an exhibition game last year. This year, he injured his ankle in his second game. If the quarterback can’t stay on the field, that disqualifies him from being the quarterback. And it definitely prevents him from being a franchise quarterback.

And so it’s time. It’s time to see if McCarthy can play. It’s time to see if he can stay healthy. It’s time to see if he can develop.

The Vikings aren’t nearly as good as they were in 2024. While a playoff berth isn’t out of the question, this isn’t a Super Bowl team. They need to have enough data to make a decision about McCarthy, so that they can explore their options in 2026.

It’s that simple. This is the NFL. Sink or swim. The good teams admit their mistakes and move on. The dysfunctional teams double down.

So where are the Vikings? The answer is clear. They need to find out what they have with McCarthy. Now.