JJ McCarthy Announces Key Change From 2024 As He Takes Over Vikings Starting Role

The Minnesota Vikings will go into the 2025 season sporting their third pre-season starting quarterback in three years in second year Michigan standout, JJ McCarthy, after being lead by Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold in 2023 and 2024.

And in anticipation, it seems that JJ McCarthy has made some changes to his physique coming off of an injury-wrangled 2024 season.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday and relayed by Kevin Seifert, it seems that the second year player out of Michigan is now a little heftier then he was over the past 12 months.

J.J. McCarthy says he’s back up to 215 pounds after getting as low as “the high 180’s” as he recovered from his knee injury. Said it was largely the result of not being able to work out, and said that once he resumed his regimen, he gained the weight back in 2 1/2 weeks.

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) April 29, 2025

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JJ McCarthy Putting On Weight Ahead of Starting Gig In Minnesota

McCarthy’s weight has always been a hot-button topic, ever since his draft evaluations started last offseason. Although he weighed in at a strong 219 lbs during the combine, he was listed as playing at 202 lbs by the team during his final college season in 2023.

This was an issue during the pre-draft process, with some teams believing that his weight, given his 6’3 height, made him too thin to absorb big hits and contact.

And whilst an extra 15 lbs might not seem like a lot, when taking a hit from a 300 lb defensive lineman, that extra muscle and bulk can be a game changer in terms of skeletal and ligament protection.

What Are The Expectations For McCarthy Heading Into Year 2?

Now the presumed starter, the ex Michigan man will have both more weight on his body and his shoulders.

No one expects McCarthy to waltz in and play like an All-Pro in his first season of action in the NFL, but he likely will not be given the same amount of grace by the team nor the media that many rookies receive in their first year, even if he is coming off a season-ending meniscus tear suffered last pre-season in August.

The benchmark will be, approximately, Sam Darnold’s showings in 2024. Although much was made about Darnold’s performances, with some arguing that he was playing like one of the league’s top quarterbacks for much of the year, he benefitted hugely from head coach, Kevin O’Connell, and the offensive setup around him.

Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Aaron Jones all do a lot for a new QBs confidence and production, so it will be not shocking to see McCarthy likely lean on those three pieces, alongside the now-healthy tight end, TJ Hockenson – early on in the 2025 season.

And Darnold’s 14-win season extravaganza will not be the standard for JJ; the current betting line for Minnesota’s regular season wins is set at 8.5. But he will be expected to look and feel similar to Darnold, as many believed coming out of the draft that McCarthy was a less reckless but smaller-armed version of the former 3rd overall pick.