The Minnesota Vikings are excited to see what second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy will look like under center after he missed his entire rookie season with a meniscus injury. Before the season starts, though, NFL insider Dianna Russini wanted to clear the air on a controversial comment over the offseason that got her in hot water with Vikings fans.
After Sam Darnold enjoyed a breakout campaign with Minnesota in 2025, there were a lot of questions about what the Vikings’ quarterback room would look like this season. Ultimately, McCarthy has been tabbed as the guy, but during the offseason, Russini seemed to imply that she didn’t think the former Michigan Wolverines star should be the team’s starting quarterback come Week 1.
Dianna Russini Clears the Air on Controversial Vikings Take
It became pretty clear early in the offseason that a reunion between Darnold and the Vikings was not going to happen. He eventually ended up signing a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks to be their starting quarterback. With Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens also leaving in free agency, that left McCarthy as the only real option at quarterback.
For a point in time, though, Minnesota was heavily linked to Aaron Rodgers after his release from the New York Jets. Given the makeup of the Vikings roster and the fact that McCarthy is still an unproven quarterback, Russini said that she thought Rodgers was going to land with Minnesota in free agency.
While she likely meant nothing with that prediction, Russini faced a lot of backlash from Vikings fans, who took the comment as a dig at McCarthy. When addressing her comments, Russini explained what she meant by her prediction, while also lamenting the fact that she is beefing with one of the nicest fan bases in the NFL.
“People from Minnesota are unbelievable,” Russini said on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.” “Even the staff in Minnesota, you want to talk about fighting, it’s impossible to fight with people, with the coaching staff and with the PR people there. It’s like a Minnesota nice thing … I think they feel the same rage we feel, but they just don’t say it. Part of the reason why I love going to Minnesota is because I’m like, ‘Wow, so this is a world where people are kind.’”
Vikings Hoping J.J. McCarthy Can Lead Them to the Playoffs in 2025
GettyVikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy embarks on his first year as a starter entering the 2025 NFL season.
Regardless of Russini’s thoughts on the Vikings quarterback situation, the team is leaning heavily on McCarthy heading into the 2025 season. After he led Michigan to a National Championship in 2023 with 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns, Minnesota selected McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, indicating they believe he can be their quarterback of the future.
Considering how well the Vikings fared last season with Darnold under center, there are going to be some serious expectations surrounding this team, even with an unproven quarterback leading the way. McCarthy proved he could win on the biggest stages during his time in college. Now, he will be looking to prove he can do the same thing in the NFL with Minnesota.
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