8. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
For the time being, JJ McCarthy has a chance to be the starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings. But does anyone really believe he has a chance of beating out Kyler Murray for the starting job?
The Vikings realized the error of their ways by moving on from Sam Darnold after a wildly successful 2024 season in Minnesota. The decision to let Darnold walk in free agency in favor of rolling with McCarthy is looking like an all-time whiff by the Vikings' organization, and now, McCarthy is getting his last shot.
The former Michigan star has given us an extremely mixed bag of results in his two years in the NFL. He was looking good in his first NFL preseason before going down with a season-ending injury. After being handed the job last year, he had moments and flashes, but was better known for his alter ego "Nine", which was memed across the sports world.
It feels like the decision to roll with McCarthy instead of Darnold is the main reason why former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah got fired, and the Vikings aren't hitching their wagons to McCarthy at this point. We might soon be talking about him as a reclamation project for another team. The good news is, McCarthy is still just 23 years old.
7. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
It was just over a year ago that the New Orleans Saints found themselves in a brutal and unenviable situation.
It was revealed in late March that Derek Carr had a career-ending shoulder injury, and the Saints had to scramble after going through nearly the entire pre-draft process -- with a rookie head coach, nonetheless -- assuming their quarterback was in place.
They ultimately decided to take a low-risk flyer on Tyler Shough in the 2nd round, and now, every QB-needy team in the NFL is wishing they could figure out a way to strike gold in the same exact way.
Shough took over for Spencer Rattler midway through the season, starting nine games, and he wound up looking like a quarterback the Saints can actually build around. Not only did Shough make some incredible throws and run the offense well, but he was dynamic. He made such a strong impression in just nine starts that he actually finished 2nd in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Shough is one of the primary reasons why a lot of folks in the NFL world are wondering if the Saints can make a run to the top of the NFC South this upcoming season.
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