JJ McCarthy will be making his NFL debut with the Minnesota Vikings this fall, after spending his rookie season on the sidelines due to a torn meniscus. McCarthy was injured during the Vikings’ only preseason game in 2024, in which he completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns prior to the injury. The Vikings drafted McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 draft, a historic draft which tied the record for most quarterbacks drafted in the first round at six; McCarthy was the fifth.
It’s not often that Michigan fans and Minnesota Vikings fans have something in common, but this fall, all eyes from both camps will be on McCarthy. Where Vikings fans may not be sold on the quarterback just yet, Michigan fans know exactly what he’s capable of, and can’t wait for him to show it off. The Vikings coaching staff have shown that they still have faith in McCarthy, and back him completely as their starting guy for the 2025-26 season.
Off-Season Practices are Proving Crucial for McCarthy
The Vikings’ had their fourth Official Team Activities (OTA) practice of the offseason on Monday, and JJ McCarthy did, unfortunately, struggle a bit. There were 15mph winds, making it difficult for him to maintain precision in his throws, and as this was the second practice open to the media, that pressure likely was not the most helpful either. That said, the general consensus from the practice before this was that McCarthy looked smooth, and everyone’s entitled to an off day.
The Vikings also announced last month that they’d be hosting a joint practice with the New England Patriots at the end of the summer offseason. McCarthy will share the field with quarterback Drake Maye, who was drafted by the Patriots just seven spots ahead of him. In 2024, the Vikings expressed interest in Maye, and many analysts noted the similarities between the two quarterbacks, and how they could each be an asset to either the Vikings or the Patriots.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the McCarthy and Maye fare on the same field in the offseason, in preparation for their preseason matchup on August 16th. Though it seems that McCarthy is still getting his bearings as a starter in the NFL, it stands to reason that his progress will continue upwards as the season nears closer.
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