J.J. McCarthy Photo Sparks Ridiculous Concern
When will it stop?
A baby shower photo of J.J. McCarthy — yes, one of those — has somehow sparked concern online about his fitness. Nobody with a brain is too concerned, however.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been subjected to totally bizarre theories since joining the purple team 15 months ago. They’re as relentless as they are strange.
The latest? He weighs too much for the quarterback position.
Polymarket Gets Weird with J.J. McCarthy Photo
If this was on your bingo board for the summer of 2025, props to you.
Polymarket Might Have the Most Absurd Theory Yet
Unprovoked, Polymarket tweeted a photo of McCarthy at his fiancée’s baby shower and insinuated that the young quarterback was too chunky to play football at a high level.
“𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆: There is concern that J.J. McCarthy is not staying in game shape after recent images from their baby shower emerged,” Polymarket Football tweeted Wednesday.
Here’s the tweet in the flesh:
In some circles, the Polymarket Football tweet can be considered classic internet ragebait — a tweet intentionally designed to stoke madness and outcry.
Why? Well, the tweet just doesn’t make sense.
Nothing … Is Wrong with McCarthy in the Photo
The misfire on the tweet is straightforward. What is wrong with McCarthy in the baby shower photo? It almost feels ridiculous to analyze it at all.
He looks like an athlete, a guy, and a quarterback. Where in the photo is he not in game shape? So many questions for a wacky tweet.
Weight Concerns Last Season
This isn’t the first time that McCarthy has been linked to weight concerns. While recovering from a torn meniscus — the injury that ruined his rookie season — McCarthy lost about 30 pounds, and anytime NFL cameras would show him on the sidelines, alarmists would fear his slender frame.
Fast forward to the man’s baby shower, and ragebaiters claim he’s too thick. The internet cannot be stopped.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote about McCarthy in April: “The Vikings cleared McCarthy this spring for full participation in their offseason program, which began last week. He said Tuesday that he has regained all of the roughly 25 to 30 pounds he lost during his recovery process and is now 215 pounds after dropping as low as the ‘high 180s’ over the winter.”
“Some fans and observers were alarmed by broadcast images of his weight loss as he stood on the sideline during Vikings games late last season. But on Tuesday, McCarthy confirmed ESPN reporting that it was the result of inaction during the initial stages of recovery. Once he began accelerating his activity in November, moreover, he suffered swelling that required a second surgery, a PRP shot to address inflammation and additional down time.”
Inexplicable Talking Points
This must come with the territory for an unproven NFL quarterback: constant concerns, albeit irrational, about, well, everything.
The too skinny talking point from last season was stupid. The latest from his baby shower isn’t much brighter.
McCarthy has also had his arm strength questioned, in addition to his ability to lead a pass-happy offense in Minnesota, because Jim Harbaugh enjoyed running the rock at Michigan.
On the bloated weight allegations, one X commenter theorized, “Looks like he has juice face. Could be a sign that he is in shape and just putting on muscle before camp starts.”
Another poked fun at Polymarket: “TRENDING: There is ‘concern’ that Polymarket Football is run by a grown ass man who lives in his mamas basement and dedicates his daily life to stirring up fake sports rumors on Twitter for clicks.”
The Purple Persuasion, a social media aggregator, got in on the fun: “First it’s ‘J.J. McCarthy lost too much weight from his injury and won’t be able to get to his playing weight in time’ to… ‘he looks fat and is not staying in game shape.’ The internet in a nut shell 🤣”
Other McCarthy Takes
Zone Coverage‘s Tony Abbott actually provided some reasonable McCarthy analysis this week, unrelated to his weight — too much or too little.
He wrote, “The two winning formulas in the league are: 1. Have a game-breaking, Patrick Mahomes-type quarterback. 2. Go cheap with a quarterback on a rookie-scale deal and build around them.”
“With J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings are in the latter category until further notice. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell understood the assignment. McCarthy’s salary allowed them to add major pieces on defense last spring (Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman) and insulate McCarthy in the 2025 offseason (Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Jordan Mason). The Vikings have a Voltron of a roster, complete with explosive weapons at wide receiver, tight end, and running back.”
Minnesota has never drafted a quarterback in the Top 10 — until McCarthy in 2024.
Abbott added, “All they need is for McCarthy to pilot it. The expectation isn’t for him to just be competent, though. Minnesota just completed a 14-3 season, and their Super Bowl window is open. The Vikings must take a step to show that they’re serious contenders, and that’s going to require McCarthy to step up in his first year as a starter.”
“It’s easy to say, Put in a rookie-scale quarterback and let the savings carry your team, but it’s much, much more difficult to actually put it into practice. Cheap or not, your quarterback still probably has to be special, at least to some degree, and that’s what Minnesota is banking on if they want a deep playoff run this year.”
McCarthy can put all weight-related fears to bed in 60 days when the regular season begins at Soldier Field. Until then, it’s evidently wild theories.
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