And while the 22-year-old has received rousing support from the Minnesota Vikings, there are eyes on Minnesota as he embarks on his first offseason as the team's bona fide starter.
If McCarthy stumbles early in the team's offseason activities, starting next week, there may be some concerns around starting him.
The prevailing McCarthy question may not be answered well into the summer months, and until he is cemented as the Vikings' Week 1 starter, you know who is holding onto hope of landing in Minnesota.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler offered a temperature check on Aaron Rodgers as he is in a holding pattern, waiting to see if the Vikings may need his services before he pivots to other options.
“There’s some teams I’ve talked to, they are still kind of wondering, like, is he just waiting out the Vikings, you know? Because the Vikings would be an ideal scenario, one of the best play callers in the league in head coach Kevin O’Connell, nine dome games, you’re guaranteed nine dome games per year,” Fowler said on a May 21 appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show."
“There’s some element of that, but I checked in with the Vikings, I still don’t expect that. They’re moving forward with J.J. McCarthy. So he really has no other option, other than Pittsburgh or retiring.”
It remains to be seen how long Rodgers will keep the Steelers waiting, but he appears content to let the McCarthy situation play out in Minnesota.
McCarthy showed flashes that he could compete with Sam Darnold for the starting job last year. He impressed in his preseason debut, completing 11 of 18 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Michigan product was expected get some run with the first team at joint practices against a vaunted Cleveland Browns defense the following week. However, he returned to the Vikings' training facilities with knee soreness that proved to be a meniscus tear that shut down his season.
McCarthy spent his rookie year preparing himself mentally as a diligent study of the game. He is still in the process of rebuilding his throwing mechanics and tying together the physical and the mental aspects of the game.
How that looks will determine whether Minnesota is comfortable trotting him out in Week 1 or if they defer to protect McCarthy and opt for another option. Sam Howell would be next in line, followed by Brett Rypien.
However, the Rodgers option may not be put to rest until the veteran quarterback makes a move himself.
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