While some in the national media continue to recycle the same talking points about Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy this offseason, the comments from his teammates, like Jordan Addison, are what people should really be paying attention to.
Following the Vikings' mini-camp practice on Wednesday, Addison took a few minutes to answer some questions from the local Twin Cities media. When asked about McCarthy, the Minnesota receiver struggled to hide his excitement.
"He excited me because he came in from the first OTAs and he's running the show. He's getting the huddle together, he's moving with urgency, he's bringing everybody along, but it looks good. You can tell, he's a leader for sure."
Jordan Addison talks about what J.J. McCarthy could do for every Minnesota Vikings receiver in 2025
In addition to sharing how impressed he's been with McCarthy so far, Addison also talked about how the entire wide receiver room could benefit from the young quarterback starting under center next season.
"The sky's the limit. J.J.'s going to have a lot of confidence in us. He's young, but I feel like he's going to give us a lot of opportunities. So, that's going to be even better."
In his first two years with the Vikings, Addison has already caught passes from five different quarterbacks. McCarthy will be the sixth next season, but it sounds like Minnesota's third-year receiver is extremely excited about everything the duo could accomplish in 2025.
During his time with the Vikings, Addison has hauled in a total of 133 passes for 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns. His 19 touchdown catches are tied for the second-most by a Minnesota wide receiver in his first two seasons with the team.
Sammy White also had 19 touchdown receptions in his first two years with the Vikings, while Randy Moss had an astounding 28 touchdown catches in his first two seasons in purple.
The record for the most by a Minnesota receiver in his first three years with the team is 43, which was set by Moss back in the 2000 season. Addison likely won't break that record, but he'll need at least nine touchdown receptions in 2025 to keep pace with Carter, who finished his first three years in a Vikings uniform with 28 touchdown catches.
If McCarthy ends up playing like the way Addison believes he can next season, then tying, and potentially surpassing, Carter in Minnesota's record book shouldn't be difficult at all.
