Every offseson, there are players and coaches alike who emerge and need a fresh start for the new season. Whether it be by being cut or fired, or even traded, they find it, and it allows them to give themselves the best chance to find success. However, the fresh start does not always mean that they will be able to find the success they crave.
ESPN's Aaron Schatz wrote up one player from each team who could use this sort of fresh start for the upcoming season. When it came to his selection for the Vikings, it was a bit of a shocker considering how short the time the player had been with the team.
Schatz suggests the player who needs the fresh start the most is quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Schatz writes, "This is likely never going to happen, because it would be ridiculous for the Vikings to unload a player who still has first-round upside after 10 starts. However, a fresh start for McCarthy with a different organization might be the best thing for his career. Yes, you want a young quarterback to be with an offensive mind such as Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell for the purposes of his development. However, things went so badly for the Vikings with McCarthy last season that it might be best to get him out of the shadow of Super Bowl winner Sam Darnold."
The footing that McCarthy finds himself on is beyond shaky when it comes to his status with the Vikings in 2026. With general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah being gone, his lone supporting piece on the team is Kevin O'Connell, but the team seems more ready to move on from McCarthy than they are from O'Connell.
It is on him in 2026 to remind everyone what made him a top quarterback prospect just two years ago.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Who on the Vikings needs a new team for 2026?