T.J. Hockenson Gasses Up Vikings Golden Boy
If you needed more evidence that Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is on the right track as the 2025 starter, let tight end T.J. Hockenson bend your ear.
Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson heaped kudos on one of his teammates, J.J. McCarthy, the latest in an offseason stuffed to the gills with commendation.
Hockenson attended “Tight End University” this week, and reporters asked about his new teammate at quarterback.
The veteran tight end did not hold back and was all smiles.
J.J. McCarthy Continues to Accrue Lavish Praise
Everyone says the same thing about McCarthy, and it’s all good.
T.J. Hockenson Heaps Praise on J.J. McCarthy
So, Hockenson already loves McCarthy. You can take that to the bank.
“That’s my dog. He is one of the best people I have been around. Just a young guy that’s hungry and wants to learn, he wants to get better. I mean, he’s making a trip down here soon, and so he wants to be great in this league and I respect that and he is willing to do the things and the hard things it takes to be great,” Hockenson said about his 22-year-old running mate.
“He’s got that switch. He turns that on when he gets on the field. You don’t really notice that when you’re just hanging out and talking with him, but he really wants it. He really wants everything to be perfect, and he’s a perfectionist for sure, which is awesome. That is how you need to be as a quarterback in this league.”
Vikings fans have hung on every word of McCarthy’s development this spring and summer, and Hockenson’s testimonial will do little to slow the hype.
Hockenson added, “You know, the ball zips on you, and he can spin it. It’s been a lot of fun to see him in OTAs, and I can’t wait to get out there with him in camp and throughout the season.”
The tight end said he would be there “every step of the way to help him navigate and help him become who he can be,” regarding McCarthy.
“His arm talent is insane,” Hockenson concluded.
Everyone Is Saying the Same Thing about McCarthy
The only folks who speak negatively about McCarthy — like Fox Sports‘ Colin Cowherd — are those not in the Twin Cities watching him develop day by day. Some just assume that because he’s young, he can’t be “that good,” and question McCarthy’s arm strength or ability to lead a pass-happy offense because he never did so at Michigan.
Otherwise, Vikings coaches, teammates, and front office members have said the same thing about the young quarterback: he’s trending in the right direction.
The Perfect Situation
McCarthy also inherits a tailor-made situation for optimal quarterback maturation.
His head coach is renowned for pulling the most out of every passer that crosses his path, including unlikely characters like Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Sam Darnold. Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota ranked second in the NFL last season per every credible efficiency metric. And if that’s not enough — McCarthy has Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Jalen Nailor, and rookie Tai Felton to make him look good — in addition to Hockenson.
It’s all waiting for McCarthy in Minnesota. A near-perfect setup.
Go Time in 75 Days
In 75 days, Vikings fans will get an early verdict on the decision to roll with McCarthy in 2025. The team could’ve signed Aaron Rodgers for a year or welcomed back the aforementioned Darnold, but it stayed on track with the McCarthy plan.
On September 8th, McCarthy will experience trial by fire when his Vikings take on the new-look Chicago Bears at Soldier Field — a grand offseason crescendo for purple fans.
Comic Relief from Brevan Bane
We can’t forget the comic relief provided by our own Brevan Bane this week.
He wrote about McCarthy’s first touchdown pass in 2.5 months: “The clouds will part, the angels will sing, and the long wait for the Vikings to have a true franchise signal caller will come to an end after literally 50 years. J.J. McCarthy will have arrived.”
“When J.J. McCarthy throws his first touchdown, it won’t matter who it is to. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, T.J. Hockenson, it doesn’t matter; Wes Phillips could go out there and throw a Vikings uniform on and catch the pass for all I care. All that will matter is that we all know we just witnessed the first of many of the face of the franchise’s lethal lays into the basket.”
Bane is no stranger to the dramatic.
Bane continued, “When J.J. McCarthy throws his first touchdown, young sons and daughters will look up at their fathers and mothers, who are exuding pure joy. The little ones don’t understand, because they were born in a timeline where all they know is a franchise quarterback, while their parental figures were brought up in a timeline of Christian Ponder, Matt Cassell, and Donovan McNabb.”
“Maybe one day, their bloodlines will remember what it’s like to experience quarterback purgatory. But until then, J.J. McCarthy is all they will know, as will the rest of the NFL.”
And the first touchdown pass must be on the way because Hockenson has already pounded the table for McCarthy. He knows it will happen sooner rather than later.
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