JJ McCarthy Update: Minnesota Vikings Future Franchise QB Back on the Field
On Thursday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah both held their 2024 season-ending press conferences at TCO Performance Center in Eagan. Reporters grilled KOC pretty emphatically over decisions made in that Wild Card playoff loss vs the Los Angeles Rams.
When questions turned toward the offseason, media members present dug in even deeper, as they combed for insights into the Vikings’ plans at quarterback. By the end of the season, had three former top 10 draft picks in his QB room, all of which had been drafted in the last 6 years (2018, 2019 and 2024).
Kevin O’Connell gives new JJ McCarthy update
Then, the conversation reached 2024 No. 10 overall pick JJ McCarthy. He was the only 2025 Vikings starting quarterback option that we got any sort of update on today. According to Kevin O’Connell, the National Champion out of Michigan is progressing nicely in his rehab, and is back out on the field doing football activities.
Kevin O'Connell was asked on JJ McCarthy being ready to be the Vikings starter in 2025
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“I’m very excited where JJ is at. He has returned to on-field training. He has returned to being able be right where we hoped he would be at this point, to have the type of offseason to answer that question. I think he maximized what this year was for him.
Kevin O’Connell on JJ McCarthy’s rehab progress (video above)
2018 No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold, who had a better one-and-done season under Kevin O’Connell than anyone on the planet expected (himself included), is likely to sign a multi-year extension that will make it very difficult to land back in Minnesota.
Related: Odds for 2025 Minnesota Vikings Starting QB Bring More Questions Than Answers
Meanwhile, 2019 No 6 overall pick Daniel Jones is due to hit free agency again, come March. Because he was not on the 48-man active game day roster at any point during his tenure in Minnesota, and nobody knows whether or not the Vikings have a comp pick coming their way in 2026, should he sign elsewhere in the coming months.
Minnesota Vikings must find their confidence level in JJ McCarthy before figuring out what’s next…
That’s why, as Kevin O’Connell mentioned on Thursday, JJ McCarthy’s development and the confidence this organization has in him to start the 2025 regular season, takes first priority over whatever else the Vikings decide to do in their quarterback room this offseason.
“I think that [JJ McCarthy] got a level of comfort in our offensive system. Getting to really have a front-row seat from every aspect of what Sam [Darnold] went through, from being in the first year of our system and watching him kind of morph and grow and adapt as the season went on. Why we do things, ‘hey we’re being defended like this, here’s the next alliteration, as our offense continues to take shape…
Him being able to absorb a lot of that, and now be able to have a really positive offseason, from start to finish, here, will be able to give us the answer to that question, as well as what that quarterback room will look like, as a whole. But I am very excited about the opportunity to be there with JJ as he continues to move through this wonderful thing we call the quarterback world, so I am very excited about that.”
Kevin O’Connell on JJ McCarthy’s rehab progress (video above)
Lots of offseason left to unfold for the Minnesota Vikings
You can tell by the way KOC perks up when talking about JJ’s development, that he hasn’t even gotten his brain to where it can think about how much he will enjoy working with McCarthy this offseason. Like the rest of us, our head coach is still trying to get past last weekend.
Related: Minnesota Vikings Bringing Back Young Interior Defensive Lineman
There is so much that the Minnesota Vikings have to figure out this offseason. Half of their roster is due for free agency, they have no idea who their starting QB will be and there are even trade rumors swirling around their head coach.
But before they do just about anything else, this organization has to get an idea of how close JJ McCarthy is to taking over the QB1 job, because a lot of dominos can fall into place, from there.
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