National Narrative Has It Wrong on J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy will take the reins of the Minnesota Vikings in 2025, their first stab at an organically drafted quarterback to lead the enterprise in over a decade. The last time the experiment worked successfully was 25 years ago, and the man’s name was Daunte Culpepper.
J.J. McCarthy is in line to be the Vikings’ starting quarterback in 2025, and one narrative about him is incorrect.
And with the regular season less than three months away, some national voices vociferously claim that McCarthy is under a lot of pressure this season, especially after the Vikings won 14 games without him in 2024.
Here’s why that narrative is wrong.
J.J. McCarthy Is “Under a Lot of Pressure”
Some NFL analysts have recently debated which NFC North quarterbacks are under the most pressure this year, and ESPN’s Peter Schrager, for example, tabbed McCarthy.
He stated on Get Up, “We’re focusing so much on Caleb this offseason and we’re just assuming that everything is fine in Minnesota, and because O’Connell and Kwesi decided to put their faith in J.J. McCarthy, that we know that this team is gonna be just as good as they were a year ago. Minnesota has everything you could want there already, it’s just plug and play.”
“Caleb Williams, you’re asking him to learn a new coach, a new offensive coordinator, an entirely new skill set of players.”
Dan Orlovsky, on the same program, countered, offering Chicago Bears passer Caleb Williams as an under-the-most-pressure alternative.
He told Schrager, “It’s really hard as a quarterback to do all that and not have the people than to do it with the people. Chicago got the people. I’ll go back to when Sean McVay went to LA, it was like ‘oh, Jared Goff doesn’t stink.’ When Mike McDaniel went to Miami, it was like ‘Oh man, Tua can play.’ And so now, there’s not gonna be any grace for Caleb Williams.”
“You have one of the hottest offensive minds in football. You’re gonna have a top-ten offensive line. You’ve got first-round pick, second-round pick, first-round pick, first-round pick at perimeter player. This is a place where a quarterback who is as talented as Caleb.”
Orlovsky also mentioned the Vikings: “Sam Darnold won 14 games last year, and they’re like we’re good, we got another guy. But here’s the thing. They will be! I love J.J. McCarthy. It’s the easiest place to go play quarterback. You should go play well there. If you’re worth your salt, you should go play well in Minnesota.”
The Guy … Is a 22-Year-Old Quarterback
McCarthy, of course, has some pressure to succeed as early as this season. He can’t utterly flop and expect folks to cheer him along the way.
However, this is his first crack at the NFL, on the whole. He’s 22. Unless he looks dreadfully unprepared, like JaMarcus Russell 15 years ago — he’s already shown that he prepares more and studies unlike that example — the Vikings wouldn’t veer away from McCarthy if the team finished 6-11 or something in the neighborhood.
Too, Minnesota just extended Kevin O’Connell’s contract, McCarthy’s head coach, and he would not be on the hot seat if the Vikings tabulated a losing record.
Put plainly, McCarthy is too young and inexperienced to have gobs of pressure on him, at least compared to a man like Trevor Lawrence, who entered the sport in 2021 and now must put up or shut up regarding his long-term trajectory.
McCarthy isn’t close to those types of ultimatums. He hasn’t even played a game yet.
Vikings Fans Are Very Familiar with Super Bowl-Less Seasons
Let’s face it: Vikings fans are overly accustomed to not winning the Super Bowl. They do not expect The Golden Boy, McCarthy, to end the wretched drought in Year No. 1.
That all-in-for-a-Super-Bowl status is probably reserved for 2026, 2027, or 2028 when McCarthy has some experience under his belt. For instance, Buffalo Bills fans did not expect Josh Allen to win the chip in 2018, 2019, or 2020.
Vikings fans will grant McCarthy some runway. He should be nowhere near “quarterbacks under the most pressure” lists or conversations.
2025 Is about Development, Not Elite Play
McCarthy’s upcoming season is all about maturation, development, growth, and showcasing the seedlings of “looking the part.”
He essentially must avoid looking moronic.
Vikings fans won’t have patience for a Kellen Mond or Christian Ponder. Mond never showed a glimmer of anything positive in the NFL, and Ponder just couldn’t put it all together and was overdrafted in the first place.
Onlookers need McCarthy to show poise and a progression in the right direction — not blunt-force stardom. An 8-9 season with McCarthy trending up would not be doomsday.
ESPN’s Take
ESPN’s Ben Solak recently added context to the McCarthy discussion, noting: “We know that although there’s no such thing as a QB-proof offense, the Vikings are about as close as it gets. Their pair of easy separating receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are known for their route running and quickness, but it’s their ball tracking and catch radius that really make them QB-friendly — they erase inaccuracy, especially down the field.”
“The Vikings were one of the heaviest pre-snap motion teams last season, as well as one of the heaviest play-action teams, and coach Kevin O’Connell pulls both levers to create easy reads for his quarterback. Minnesota’s retooling of its interior offensive line (drafted Donovan Jackson, signed Will Fries and Ryan Kelly) should lead to an improvement in the running game as well, shortening third-down distances and reducing the number of dropbacks for McCarthy as he ramps up to NFL speed.”
McCarthy’s development will take the next step in about six weeks at training camp.
Solak concluded, “It’s important to see how McCarthy looks, especially on the move after his major knee injury. But as long as he’s athletically back, there are plenty of reasons for optimism.”
McCarthy cannot conduct a season with 9 touchdown passes to 25 interceptions, but he also isn’t bombarded by pressure. Take him off the lists.
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