It’s a given that Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. The 2025-26 season will bring the big the debut of McCarthy, who was out for the entire season last year with an injury. So, it’s understandable that there are some nerves on both the part of the Vikings and McCarthy going into the team’s 2025-26 run.
But, McCarthy has a strong team around him, and that should help. Last season, the Vikings had a 14-3 regular season record, so even without McCarthy, they were able to perform and give then quarterback Sam Darnold the goods to deliver.
So, we’ve established that there are some nerves going into the new season for the Vikings, especially when it comes to McCarthy. Now, expectations just got way bigger for him, following some gushing over his summer performances. He’s being built up as one of the hottest up-and-coming quarterbacks in the game right now, so there’s simply more pressure to deliver.
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Gets Talked Up By Adam Thielen
During this summer, McCarthy has been working out with former Minnesota Vikings and current Carolina Panthers player Adam Thielen this summer. This week, KSTP‘s Alec Ausmus caught up with Thielen to get his take on how McCarthy is playing this summer. Ausmus’ statements were not only kind, they were glowing.
“He’s got all the things that it takes to be a successful player in this league, and the things that we’ve talked about, about how I’ve gotten to year 13, he’s already got it,” Ausmus gushed. “He’s got consistency, he’s got that mindset, he’s got all the skills to be able to play at a high level.”
He added, “I’m really excited, now in my second summer working with him, to see him get an opportunity and to see what he does with the opportunity, because I see it now on the field, just [with] his mindset and all the things that it takes to be a great quarterback in this league, and I’ve been around a lot of great ones.”
If there was any question left in anybody’s mind about how sold Ausmus is on McCarthy, he puts it to rest with his final quote: “He has everything you need, so I’m excited to see what happens.”
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy ‘Has Shown Confidence’
In a piece published on Friday, July 18, in The Vikings Age, Anthony Miller talks about how the pressure is going up on McCarthy.
“McCarthy has answered the call so far this offseason with the added pressure of Minnesota picking him over Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Aaron Rodgers,” he states. “The feeling is different this season as there is no competition for McCarthy. This is his job. Even in press conferences, McCarthy has shown the confidence to say that the quarterback job is his.”
So, the pressure is on for McCarthy, but that’s not a bad thing. Having big expectations for the signal-caller will make things that much more exciting when the season kicks in. Plus, look at it this way: It’s better than players saying that he’s not performing well this summer.
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