J.J. McCarthy Is about to Shock People
On September 8th, 2025, the J.J. McCarthy era for the Minnesota Vikings will begin at Soldier Field as McCarthy and Co. will face the Chicago Bears. In that game and beyond, McCarthy stands to shock a lot of onlookers, and it’s not that complicated.
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy hasn’t thrown a regular season pass yet, but clues point to his play in 2025 shocking a lot of folks, especially the national crowd.
The Vikings extracted McCarthy from Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, but his debut became delayed when he tore his meniscus in his first-ever preseason game.
Barring injury, his maiden voyage will begin in 11 weeks, and here’s why the 22-year-old passer will cause those outside of the Twin Cities to raise their eyebrows.
What Will Surprise Some from Vikings Quarterback J.J. McCarthy in 2025 ⤵️
The Arm Strength Concerns for J.J. McCarthy Will Die
Led by Fox Sports‘ Colin Cowherd but not exclusive to his show, a semi-prevalent narrative claims McCarthy’s arm strength is suspect. Cowherd said last week that McCarthy doesn’t do a single thing overly well, and to align with his elite peers, he might need a single claim to fame.
The problem? Re-watch McCarthy’s full game or highlights at the University of Michigan. If one leaves that sitting with the belief that his arm strength isn’t there, it may be because that was a preexisting theory that one can’t shake.
One site got it right early in 2024. NFL Draft Buzz wrote, “McCarthy’s arm talent is evident with the way he can zip the ball through tight spaces, reminiscent of his clutch throws during the Ohio State game.”
That site also remarked, “McCarthy’s deep ball accuracy is on display with several of his touchdown passes, particularly against Purdue where he highlighted his ability to drop balls into tight coverage,” and “ball velocity is a strength, but he often lasers passes when a softer touch is needed, particularly against layered zone coverages or when dropping it in the bucket over linebackers and in front of safeties.”
For those who think McCarthy has a middle-of-the-road arm, they’ll quickly be astonished when the opposite shows up in the Vikings’ offense.
Vikings Could Shatter Vegas Win Forecasts
The regular season is about 2.5 months away, and the Vikings are scheduled to win about eight or nine games. The same oddsmakers labeled Minnesota for six or seven wins at this time last year, and it later tallied a 14-3 record.
If Kevin O’Connell’s team could win 14 games with Sam Darnold, forecasting it for an 8-9 or 9-8 record in 2025 might be short-selling.
Those outside of Minneapolis perceive the Vikings as a decent team that could get frisky to the tune of 9-8 or 10-7. If they replicate the 2024 campaign, winning more games than expected, McCarthy will receive much of the credit. That’s just how football works these days; the quarterback gets the glory and blame.
Why McCarthy Is Set Up to Turn Heads, Summarized
- McCarthy’s arm strength fears are totally overblown
- Minnesota will exceed the 8.5-win forecast
- The situation in Minnesota empowers a rookie QB
- The Vikings don’t showcase a run-happy offense
- Offseason QB alternatives weren’t too alluring
“Just a Rookie Quarterback” Won’t Apply
McCarthy turned 22 this offseason, which is younger than many rookies entering the pros. Of course, the young Wolverine will battle rough spells and may even look terrible in spots. It’s how quarterback development goes.
Still, McCarthy is accompanied by impactful offensive playmakers like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Mason, and rookie Tai Felton. He also has the NFL’s second-best defense from last year at his side, in addition to O’Connell, who the world has nominated as the almighty quarterback whisperer.
Normally, under ordinary circumstances, websites like this one would be laying the framework: “McCarthy is only 22. He could be pretty brutal this year.”
That need not apply to McCarthy, at least not cumulatively, because he has all the necessary pieces around him to flourish. Try to find another quarterback in recent memory who has waltzed into a situation like the 2025 Vikings. It’s not easy.
McCarthy as a Hand-Off Merchant Won’t Ring True
The Michigan Wolverines loved to run the rock during the 2024 Championship run. That isn’t disputed.
But here’s the deal: the Vikings don’t do that. They just don’t. O’Connell is a former NFL quarterback, and more often than not, his offense rears back and throws the ball, almost to a fault, at times. While general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted a quarterback from a run-happy college offense, McCarthy will learn the lay of the land in the NFL inside a pass-happy offense.
O’Connell-led offenses don’t run the ball like Jim Harbaugh. Per playcalling percentage, the O’Connell Vikings and Harbaugh Wolverines are stylistically dissimilar.
Folks Will Forget All about Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Aaron Rodgers Rather Easily
Minnesota had three realistic options this offseason if it didn’t want to kickstart the McCarthy era this soon — Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Aaron Rodgers.
Darnold played out of his mind through 17 weeks in O’Connell’s offense before vaporizing in crunchtime. He now works for the Seattle Seahawks. There’s a decent chance that he doesn’t fully rekindle the good version of his 2024 performance in Seattle.
Let’s face it: nobody will miss Daniel Jones too much. Even if Jones takes off in Indianapolis, earning the QB1 job, the masses already know his ceiling. He’s been a starter since 2019. Jones is decent, at best.
And Rodgers is old. He’ll be 42 in December. His New York Jets stunk last year despite an utterly fantastic roster from head to toe.
McCarthy will shock folks with his game-readiness, and even if he doesn’t turn into a Pro Bowler right away, players like Darnold, Jones, or Rodgers were not some big, can’t-miss alternatives. They all had warts.
You must be logged in to post a comment.