Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Raises Eyebrows With Pro Bowl Playmaker

J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings open training camp on July 20 for rookies and July 22 for veterans, but the second-year QB has been putting in work all offseason. In his latest noteworthy session, McCarthy was joined by fellow Vikings, old and new.

After getting in work with former Vikings star and two-time Pro Bowler Adam Thielen in 2024, McCarthy was back working with the Carolina Panthers wideout this summer.

The meet-up, an apparent promotion for UNRL athletic apparel, raised fans’ eyebrows.

“He’s a great kid. You don’t really realize that he’s 21 years old when you’re talking to him [or] when you’re hanging around him. He’s got a maturity about him that you can tell that goes beyond his age,” Thielen said on “#92Noon!” in July 2024

“That’s step No. 1 as a quarterback, right? To have that maturity level, to have that kind of poise or, kind of, that aura around you that just feels like confidence and just a good, good person. So I’ve really enjoyed being around him for the little time that I’ve been able to be around him, and [I’m] excited to kind of follow his career.”

McCarthy might get the opportunity to throw to Thielen in a game, but it could have to wait until 2026, barring the Vikings making a trade during the 2025 season.

Thielen is in the final year of his contract with the Panthers, but retirement is a possibility.