Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Under ‘Simple’ Orders Entering Training Camp

All J.J. McCarthy has to do is keep the Minnesota Vikings’ train on the tracks.

The second-year quarterback, who missed his rookie season with a torn meniscus suffered in the 2024 preseason opener, is poised to enter the 2025 campaign as QB1. With that have come plenty of questions and expectations.

However, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis noted that McCarthy’s orders from the Vikings and, presumably, head coach Kevin O’Connell.

“The Vikings tossed him the keys to the Ferrari,” Lewis wrote on July 2. “The directive is simple: Take what’s there; no need to be a hero. Expecting McCarthy to be perfect would be foolish. Thinking he’ll thrive on intermediate routes and anticipatory throws is fair. Most everyone who has spent meaningful time around him raves about him. How he looks will be one of the biggest stories of the NFL season.”

McCarthy’s spring was a mixed bag, with the QB acknowledging he needed to work on becoming more than a “one-speed pitch” kind of passer, but the Vikings remain firmly behind their young field general.