The Minnesota Vikings have a lot riding on quarterback J.J. McCarthy going into the new season. McCarthy, of course, was out for his rookie season with an injury, so the upcoming year will pretty much be his rookie season. The Vikings have secured elite talent around McCarthy, so there’s pressure on him to deliver with the gifts he’s been given.
McCarthy needs to perform well, but the players around him are so good that there’s some room for error. Nobody is perfect, and since this will be McCarthy’s first year on the field in the NFL, he’s going to make mistakes. But, hopefully he won’t make big ones.
Now, one sports personality is questioning just what is going on behind closed doors when it comes to the Vikings and their quarterback room. He goes so far to imply that perhaps there’s trouble with McCarthy and the team.
Is J.J. McCarthy Ready to Lead the Minnesota Vikings?
GettyThe Minnesota Vikings have a lot to hope for in quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Following a successful stint at the University of Michigan under Jim Harbaugh, McCarthy was drafted with the 10th overall pick by the Vikings in the 2024 NFL draft. But, as mentioned above, he was out his rookie season with an injury, and now, some wonder if he’s really ready to be the main guy for the Vikings in 2025.
On a June 11 episode of his show “The Herd,” Colin Cowherd discussed the different reports coming out of Minnesota about McCarthy’s performance in camp. Now, it’s only June, and August should be a different story when McCarthy has time to really get comfortable with Kevin O’Connell’s style, but Cowherd still has major concerns.
“J.J. McCarthy threw a pick for a third straight day,” Cowherd said on the show. “There’s so much mystery here: why does Minnesota keep flirting with other quarterbacks, and there are too many conflicting reports on McCarthy?”
He added, “I feel like sometimes there’s a bit of a spin job here. His arm and escape ability are modest; his release wasn’t super quick—there’s no great trait.”
The Idea That the Vikings Are Freaking Out About J.J. McCarthy
So, Cowherd makes a good point that something is going on if the Vikings keep “flirting” with other quarterbacks. But, they’ve been pretty consistent in staying that McCarthy is their guy.
McCarthy is coming off a major injury, and when it comes to both his physical and metal mindset, that can’t be easy. He’s had a year to sit there and think about the pressure that he’ll be facing after all of this anticipation of seeing him lead the Vikings to victories.
In a May 20 piece for PFF, John Kosko gives McCarthy the benefit of the doubt and ranks him the No. 22 signal-caller going into the new season. “If he’s fully healthy in 2025, and considering what Sam Darnold managed in this offense, McCarthy is set up to succeed,” he states.
There’s a lot of time between now and August. If McCarthy is still having trouble two months from now, that will be a concern, but for now, it seems as if the Viking should wait it out and hope for the best.
