The Minnesota Vikings are entering a new era of football in 2025. A new quarterback is taking over the proud NFC North franchise, with second-year signal caller J.J. McCarthy expected to be the starter.
Despite having an interest in re-signing Sam Darnold, the Vikings saw their starting quarterback from last season leave to sign a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks. They also were unable to retain Daniel Jones in free agency.
Rumors surrounded Minnesota and Aaron Rodgers for some weeks during the offseason, but the team ultimately decided to go in a different direction. Instead, the Vikings acquired Sam Howell from the Seahawks.
McCarthy is the clear-cut favorite to be the Week 1 starter. Minnesota is taking a major leap of faith in its young quarterback.
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However, one NFL insider has revealed some concerning thoughts about the Vikings’ quarterback situation.
Ross Tucker has spoken out about McCarthy and Minnesota. He doesn’t think the Vikings are extremely confident in the young signal caller.
“No matter what the Vikings say about J.J. McCarthy… they wanted [Sam] Darnold back,” Tucker said. “And then when they weren’t going to get Darnold back, they wanted Daniel Jones back… As much as they’re ‘sold’ on J.J. McCarthy, they weren’t that sold… so [the Vikings] have some doubt.”
There are many reasons why the team may not be completely sold on McCarthy. First and foremost, he has never played an NFL regular-season snap.
Last season, McCarthy was unavailable for the entire year due to a knee injury that he suffered in the preseason. He missed a lot of valuable time in 2024.
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Without seeing what he can do on the field, there is no guarantee that Minnesota will see him become a legitimate starter in 2025. There is a lot riding on his ability to step in and play at a high level, but the Vikings cannot be guaranteed to see him succeed.
It will be interesting to watch the Vikings and McCarthy early on during the 2025 campaign. His first three career starts, assuming he does win the job, will come on the road against the Chicago Bears and then at home against the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals.
Fans won’t have to wait too long to find out what McCarthy is made of in his second season. Hopefully, he’s ready to rise to the occasion and prove himself to be a capable starter.
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