Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has "no limitations" as offseason work begins, head coach says
As the Minnesota Vikings begin their voluntary offseason program, all eyes are on one player: second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy enters the spring as the presumed starter for next season, with no real competition on the roster and team brass fully behind him — even if McCarthy himself said the Vikings haven't yet handed him the job.
"They haven't told me, and I'm happy they didn't because I try to earn it every single day," McCarthy told "Up & Adams" host Kay Adams. "I never want that to be given to me and it's just such a privilege and opportunity to give me that chance and I'm just going to make the most of it every single day."
Though McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury, head coach Kevin O'Connell said he's fully recovered and has "no limitations" as the team's offseason work gets underway.
"I think he's ready to hit the ground running as of today," O'Connell said Monday.
Though McCarthy couldn't be on the field last year, he spent plenty of time working on everything but the actual playing of the position.
"I think the big thing is he's done a phenomenal job, what I would really call that invisible habits, invisible work that he's done when really nobody's been watching," O'Connell said. "In many ways solidifying and finalizing his rehab and then on into a phase where he's really been able to push it on the field from a throws and working his technique and fundamentals and then ultimately the mental side of it as well."
From a physical standpoint, O'Connell doesn't seem to have any concerns about his young QB — now, it's just about proving he can do the job when the lights are on.
"I think he's already there now, it's just a matter of applying with teammates and with detail and with repetition to try to apply those reps so we can start projecting what not only he can continue to improve at, what are the areas we need to focus on, how can we craft this offense to make sure we are doing the things that he does well naturally while also challenging him to grow that pot of inventory that we can ultimately pull from," O'Connell said.
With Brett Rypien the only other QB on the roster, O'Connell said the Vikings will look to add another arm. Last year's starter, Sam Darnold, walked for a guaranteed starting gig in free agency, and a flirtation with Aaron Rodgers has been fruitless as of yet.
"We've been patient and we've really evaluated a lot of different ways that we could potentially do that," O'Connell said. "There's potential trades and free agency and still the draft."
Despite McCarthy having the inside track for the job, O'Connell said the team will "still have a competitive situation in there, however you look at it." Even so, it's clear the Vikings are moving ahead with a plan to make McCarthy the man under center.
"I think the spring is set up perfectly for J.J. with where he's at," the head coach said. "All of it is going to be kind of systematically planned out for him and I think he's ready to attack it."
Note: The video above originally aired March 11, 2025.
