The Minnesota Vikings' season depends on J.J. McCarthy.
That's not a particularly bold statement. It's the NFL, where quarterbacks are king to begin with. And this is a Minnesota team that nearly won the NFC North last season with a different QB, Sam Darnold, who is now in Seattle.
McCarthy was the highly regarded rookie last season, chosen 10th overall out of Michigan, but then he hurt his knee in August and missed the whole season.
So the questions have been there since the beginning of this offseason. Is McCarthy healthy? And is he good enough?
That's why, when The Athletic released its Offseason All-Hype Team on Thursday, McCarthy was in the QB slot.
"Surrounded by one of the league’s most talented rosters, the 22-year-old has everything a first-year starter could ask for: a world-class play caller in head coach Kevin O’Connell, a stout offensive line, talented skill position players and sole control of the starting role," The Athletic's daily newsletter wrote. "His progress was Minnesota’s biggest question heading into training camp, and he’s checked most boxes since."
The Vikings sort of have another option if they get desperate in the form of Sam Howell, a veteran who they traded for during the draft.
But Minnesota will sink or swim with McCarthy.
Even coming out of college, there were questions about McCarthy. People weren't convinced he had actually thrown enough in a run-heavy Michigan offense to believe in his NFL talent.
The Vikings weren't the only team who would've made him a first-rounder, though. McCarthy clearly can play the position.
Just how well he does it, and how well he lives up to the hype, will determine the whole vibe in Skol country this fall.
