For all but the four teams left in the championship round of the playoffs, the focus has shifted to the 2025 season, whether free agency, the draft, or predicting players who will break out in 2025.
No Surprises as PFF Names Vikings’ Breakout Candidate
Pro Football Focus gave their opinion on a player to watch as an emerging talent from all 32 teams. There were no surprises as PFF named their Vikings breakout candidate — it’s JJ McCarthy.
Some still see the purple team spending huge money to bring back Sam Darnold. The smart money is on the Vikings’ original plan of turning the offense over to the man they spent the 10th overall pick on. PFF predicts that will happen and that McCarthy will play well in his first season under center for Minnesota.
With Sam Darnold a pending free agent, the Vikings feel likely to hand the reins to McCarthy, whom they’ve touted as their quarterback of the future. In his lone preseason start before a season-ending torn meniscus, McCarthy produced an excellent 84.0 PFF passing grade with a 75.0% adjusted completion rate. McCarthy’s play-action and rushing success should make him a perfect fit in Kevin O’Connell’s system, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he played well as soon as next year
McCarthy’s momentum toward becoming the Vikings’ starter in his rookie season was building. After his preseason debit, the balance seemed to be tipping his way. Then, the news of the season-ending injury hit, and the 2024 season became all about Darnold.
Many people wanted the Vikings to bring back Darnold for 2025 at times during the season, as he enjoyed the best season of his career. However, as things soured at the end, that option seemed unlikely, especially considering the potential cost.
JJ McCarthy in 2025
As a big proponent of McCarthy being the guy Minnesota should draft, I am eager to see him get his chance. The money used to sign Darnold can be put to better use elsewhere on the roster. Minnesota will certainly want an experienced quarterback in the building as insurance, and they could have already found their guy in Daniel Jones. We have seen that Kevin O’Connell’s offense is designed to make his quarterback, leading him to make QBs that have been perceived bad look good — at least for a certain amount of time.
McCarthy is and will be a very good quarterback for Minnesota, but he is almost coming in like a rookie and will need time to find his feet in the pro game. He has had a year to get to know the scheme, but we won’t know how ready he is until we see him on the field. With coaching from O’Connell and the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson, the young signal-caller can turn to on the field. Everything is set up for McCarthy’s success, especially if the Vikings use some of their hefty cap space to address their weaknesses on the offensive line’s interior.
Minnesota will expect to be competitive again after a 14-win season, and they can absolutely be that with McCarthy. Quarterbacking a successful team will certainly see McCarthy viewed as a breakout player.
