Months ago, the Minnesota Vikings were thrust into conversations regarding potentially picking up Aaron Rodgers or Matthew Stafford in free agency situations. Neither were acquired, and the team allowed Sam Darnold to join the Seattle Seahawks.
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Now, the Vikings are placing all of their faith in the upcoming second-year slinger, J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy is technically still a rookie since he missed the 2024 season after suffering a meniscus injury, leading to him becoming the first first-round pick quarterback to miss a rookie season.
McCarthy is completely healed, and he showcased some skill during the Vikings’ first preseason outing. With some solid throws to Jordan Addison, McCarthy ended the day with 4-for-7 attempts and 30 yards.
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While those stats do not immediately speak to elite skills, McCarthy showed some quick thinking. Still, there are questions on whether the young signal caller will rise to the occasion, and that has led to the Vikings receiving a brutal ranking regarding the quarterback room.
According to ESPN’s Mike Clay, the Vikings are currently ranked 27th out of 3 teams in the quarterback room. Clay does state that Minnesota is a team to “watch.”
“Other than perhaps the Steelers, no team with a new starting QB has as much on the line as the Vikings in 2025. With a revived Sam Darnold under center in 2024, Minnesota was one of the league’s best teams, posting a 14-3 regular-season record. The core of the team remains in place, which puts pressure on 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to play at a high level or at least not mess things up.”
Clay has a huge point that McCarthy now faces a huge pressure test to help guide this Vikings offense. This is especially the case since most of the core remains intact.
Unfortunately, Addison will be lost for the first three games due to a suspension, but McCarthy still has the best receiver in the game in Justin Jefferson. Jefferson has been dealing with an injury, but should be ready to go by Week 1.
McCarthy has a strong core in place that should help him greatly, but having to command an offense a year after a major injury is tense enough. Having the team’s faith placed in you is another animal altogether.
McCarthy was always going to take over the Vikings team, but now he must do so with the weight of the 2025 season on his shoulders.
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