Jared Allen Reveals Biggest Concern for JJ McCarthy in 2026

Minnesota Vikings legend Jared Allen is not necessarily waivers from quarterback JJ McCarthy just more, but he has his own worries. Former linebackers believe 2026 will be a make-or-break year for the burgeoning third-year signal-caller, whose back is already potentially against the wall.

Allen knows McCarthy has mechanical issues that need to be addressed, but that’s his primary concern Injury problems for the 23-year-old. Allen said he sees “potential” in McCarthy, but the Vikings need to capitalize on their championship run and can’t let 2026 be another lost year.

“My biggest question mark right now is, can the kid stay healthy?” Allen said on the “Up & Adams Show.” “I think he’s got some grit. Obviously he’s got good potential, but you’ve got to stay healthy, you’ve got to stay on the field in this league. I think that’s the problem.”

“My biggest question is if (JJ McCarthy) can stay healthy … If you can’t stay healthy, you can’t stay a starter.

HOF’er Jared Allen expresses his biggest concern about the Vikings QB@heikaiadams pic.tvitter.com/IIvnVsJkUa

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShov) February 11, 2026

Allen knows the Vikings have to be quick with McCarthy to get the most out of their age with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. For that reason, the 43-year-old doesn’t want to see his former team lose another year of stellar receiver years.

“From the Vikings’ point of view, you’re looking at one of the best receiving corps in the league. How long can we last? We have a defense that finished the league red-hot, but everybody gets older. Every year they get old and those pieces start to fall off. So you wait for JJ to mature until year five, six, seven, all of a sudden it’s 1, 10 years for a whole year. dynamic changes.”

McCarthy finished the 2025 season with 1,632 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 57.6 percent of his passes. He finished the year on a high, totaling seven touchdowns and three fumbles over the last four games, but suffered a hand injury in Week 16 that halted his momentum.

McCarthy played in just 10 of the Vikings’ 17 games after missing his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus. He has appeared in just 29 percent of Minnesota’s games since the team traded up to draft him 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.