Vikings Have the Almighty Wild Card
Stop if you’ve heard this before: the Minnesota Vikings’ 2025 campaign boils down to how quickly quarterback J.J. McCarthy acclimates to the pros.
One Vikings player enters the 2025 campaign as the almighty wild card in 2025, says NFL.com.
The Vikings chose McCarthy as QB1 in 2025, letting the 2024 quarterback, Sam Darnold, depart in free agency to the Seattle Seahawks.
McCarthy has not taken an NFL snap in the regular season, and according to NFL.com, that makes him the almighty wild card around the league this season.
NFL.com on J.J. McCarthy as the NFL’s Top Wild Card
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com is evidently intrigued by McCarthy in 2025, dedicating a full article to the topic last week.
Brooks wrote, “It’s a small sample size, to be sure, but McCarthy flashed impressive skills as a rhythm passer in his lone preseason game last year. He dropped a series of dimes on in-breaking routes, showing superb timing and anticipation. This makes it easy to envision O’Connell building a call sheet with crossers and deep overs at intermediate range.”
“In addition, McCarthy’s athleticism on impromptu scrambles gives me Alex Smith vibes when thinking about how the Vikings can integrate the green QB’s skill set into the playbook.”
McCarthy won a National Championship with the Michigan Wolverines in 2023, the event that launched him to Minnesota.
Brooks continued, “With a stout O-line to control the trenches, the Vikings can establish the ground game, creating big-play opportunities on play-action passes when opponents overreact to Jones, Jordan Mason and Co. splitting creases. In addition, the upgraded line could handle some of the pass-protection calls commonly assigned to the quarterback, lowering the stress on McCarthy at the line of scrimmage.”
“McCarthy’s play will ultimately determine whether the 2025 Vikings reach their ceiling and make a serious run for a ring, but Minnesota has created a stellar environment for a first-time starter. Consequently, I believe this wild card will come up aces.”
Vikings Bet It All on McCarthy
And Brooks isn’t wrong.
The only true question mark on the Vikings’ roster entering the summer is McCarthy. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has used the last few free agency periods and drafts to improve the depth chart to the utmost. Most of the roster can be trusted with playoff contendership stakes in 2025.
McCarthy, on the other hand, is the big “maybe.”
He could emulate previous first years from rookie quarterbacks like Justin Herbert in 2020 or C.J. Stroud in 2023. Both men immediately thrived. Others — most of them — take a few years to develop.
Where McCarthy fits on that spectrum will determine the Vikings’ ceiling this season. The team is betting 2025 Super Bowl stakes on McCarthy’s game-readiness.
14-3 without McCarthy in 2024
It’s worth noting that McCarthy will waltz into a magnificent situation. He has offensive playmakers galore, a defense that ranked second per all credible efficiency metrics in 2024, and a “quarterback whisperer” head coach.
Hell, the Vikings won 14 games last year with Sam Darnold in charge, and most considered him a dud at this time last year.
If Darnold can lead the Vikings to the postseason, why not McCarthy? That’s the optimistic take from fans.
More from Bucky Brooks on McCarthy
Brooks added more context on McCarthy’s 2025 campaign: “Fresh off a 14-win season, the Minnesota Vikings should be considered title contenders with a deeper and more talented roster heading into the 2025 campaign. The team completely overhauled the interior offensive line with great additions in free agency (RG Will Fries and C Ryan Kelly) and the draft (first-round LG Donovan Jackson), while returning one of the best collections of weaponry in the league.”
“Defensively, the Vikings added some trench warriors (DTs Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave) to a unit that suffocated opponents with a relentless, high-pressure approach last year.”
Oddsmakers believe McCarthy’s Vikings will finish around 8-9 or 9-8.
Brooks concluded, “With a pair of schematic wizards in Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores pencil-whipping opponents with deft play designs, the Vikings should be considered among the top candidates to supplant the defending champion Eagles as NFC representatives in Super Bowl LX — IF J.J. McCarthy can hit the ground running as the team’s new QB1.”
“That’s why the 10th overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft could be the biggest wild card in the league in 2025.’
Other NFL Wild Cards?
It’s not just the Vikings. Other clubs will have wild card stakes this season.
Some that come to mind:
- If Aaron Rodgers finally signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and if Rodgers can reclaim MVP form from 4-5 years ago.
- Whether the Detroit Lions coordinator departures — Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears and Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets — have a major effect on win-loss operations.
- Is Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer the right guy for the job?
The NFL regular season gets underway on September 4th. Just over 15 weeks.
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