One of the biggest wild cards of any team or player in the NFL could be residing in the NFC ahead of the 2025 season. It will be quite interesting to see how this team performs in 2025, as much of the hierarchy of the conference may fall on his shoulders.
It was a transitional period for this team in a way, as they said goodbye to a now-former quarterback and have essentially handed the keys over to their de-facto rookie signal-caller. The biggest question of them all heading into the 2025 NFL Season is what in the heck will the Minnesota Vikings get from JJ McCarthy?
JJ McCarthy's impact is going to be felt across the conference
JJ McCarthy is still just 22 years old and was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings back in the 2024 NFL Draft. He suffered a season-ending knee injury and did not get to suit up for a single regular season game. Despite this, Sam Darnold, their former backup turned starter, ended up playing the best football of his entire career.
Darnold helped lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record and a playoff appearance, but it became clear near the end of the 2024 NFL Season that Darnold was not going to be the one to lead them. In the offseason, the Vikings truly reinforced their offensive and defensive lines, and also invested a bit into their RB room as well.
The stage is set for JJ McCarthy, a de-facto rookie who will be making his first NFL starts this year. If McCarthy ends up finding success like Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix did, the Minnesota Vikings may end up as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but if he carves out more of a 'normal' rookie QB season, the Vikings could be looking at a lower Wild Card seed in the NFC or even missing the playoffs entirely.
No one truly knows how good JJ McCarthy will be in the 2025 NFL Season, and he is absolutely someone who could have the biggest impact of any player in the NFC for this upcoming season.
