As Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy gets ready for his first season as a full-time starter, he has every reason to be confident.
McCarthy, the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2024, had to wait a year due to meniscus tear surgery. He watched former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold lead the team to a 14-3 record and a playoff appearance amid big numbers — a 66.2% completion rate for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions and a 102.5 quarterback rating. That said, McCarthy doesn’t feel like a rookie.
“It’s definitely a different feeling,” McCarthy told reporters on July 23. “And a really good one.”
McCarthy has been working closely with head coach Kevin O’Connell to best position himself to find similar success in the Vikings offense. The Vikings have droves of talent again in wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison plus tight end T.J. Hockenson.
“I learned what windows I can fit the ball in, and what windows I can’t,” McCarthy said. “Reps that were considered a failure, I consider them huge learning lessons.”
O’Connell likes the progress McCarthy has shown during training camp as the pressure increases.
“Now we have that element of those (defensive) fronts in the rush, and how rush and coverage can work together to make things uncomfortable on quarterbacks. So now we can see just a new layer of information, and he’s had the ability to kind of progress to these reps,” O’Connell told reporters on July 23. “But I do think that there’s a layer now where you start having real conversations about managing situations.”
Kevin O’Connell Sees Growth in J.J. McCarthy Amid Tests
GettyJ.J. McCarthy has impressed at times during training camp.
McCarthy has impressed at times, which included big completions during drills. However, there’s also been missed opportunities.
McCarthy is working on situational awareness, which he first developed in his collegiate career at Michigan under former head coach Jim Harbaugh. Now, McCarthy is looking to adapt that at the NFL level with O’Connell and Vikings game management specialist Ryan Codell.
“You have to know the situation on every single play of the game and just understand, ‘Did the defense just get off the field? Are we really trying to take a shot here? Are we really trying to move the sticks and just kind of keep the possession going?’ And really take in a multitude of factors within each drive,” McCarthy said. “But I feel like that’s just the No. 1 thing with the quarterback, is handling the situations and making the right decisions. And ultimately, that leads to the most probability of winning football games.”
Justin Jefferson: ‘You Definitely Have to Have Patience’
Jefferson, who has been vocal about the kind of quarterback he wants to work with, has shown his support of McCarthy.
“You definitely have to have patience,” Jefferson told reporters on July 24. “He’s pretty much a rookie. Last year pretty much doesn’t count for him. So he’s still new to the scheme, new to coming out here and throwing it to these different receivers. So yes, you have to have that patience. You’re not really expecting him to have the same mindset as a veteran. You can’t really have that expectation from him.”
Last season, Jefferson piled on 103 receptions for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns.
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