EAGAN, Minn. — The world has no scarcity of opinions on Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Is he prepared to guide the Vikings to Tremendous Bowl LX in February? It isn’t exhausting to search out somebody keen to say sure. Is he too weak-armed and small-statured to be a long-term starter? That evaluation has floated across the nationwide media as nicely.
This vary of potential outcomes is smart for a quarterback who missed his rookie season with a torn proper meniscus and has neither performed nor practiced throughout an NFL common season. What McCarthy has achieved, nonetheless, is construct up a listing of offseason throws, selections, errors, successes and progress moments.
“It has been superior,” McCarthy mentioned, “as a result of they’ve actually pushed the bounds on simply what I can deal with, and that is what I requested for. I would slightly sweat in coaching and restrict the bleeding on the battlefield after we get there.”
Over the 14 months for the reason that Vikings made him the No. 10 decide within the 2024 draft, McCarthy has participated in 18 days of coaching camp, 15 OTAs, three days of rookie minicamp, six days of veteran minicamp and one preseason sport. That physique of labor is sufficiently big to make some knowledgeable judgments, at the least for individuals who have witnessed them.
With 33 days remaining till McCarthy and the remainder of the Vikings’ quarterbacks report back to coaching camp, listed below are 5 offseason takeaways concerning the 22-year-old who the Vikings hope will turn into their starter for the subsequent decade.
The arm is ok
McCarthy’s arm energy was a subject of public dialogue coming into the draft, even after he recorded a velocity of 61 mph on a throw on the mix. He has additionally mentioned that he as soon as threw a ball 78 yards — with the wind.
However velocity and distance aren’t full expressions of arm energy, nor do they essentially correlate with long-term success. The one related query is whether or not McCarthy could make the entire throws on an NFL route tree, and over the previous two offseasons, he has.
“He undoubtedly has an arm,” receiver Justin Jefferson mentioned. “That is for positive. He can undoubtedly zip it each time he must.”
McCarthy’s arm has regarded particularly vigorous on throws down the center of the sphere. His one interception throughout the 2024 preseason, and the 2 in aggressive drills that reporters noticed this spring, have been on throws towards the sideline that cornerbacks jumped. These errors, nonetheless, regarded extra like problems with timing and decision-making than arm energy.
“Lots of [the public doubt] simply comes with the stigma of taking part in at Michigan and never throwing the ball so much,” McCarthy mentioned. “However on the similar time, it may very well be my body. They do not see a 6-5, 240-[pound] man, so how will you throw at 61 miles an hour on the mix? However on the finish of the day, it may present up and the those that know, know.”
He is studying to fluctuate his throws
Jefferson famous final summer season that McCarthy tended to throw each ball the identical means — exhausting and straight — and contrasted that with how final yr’s starter, Sam Darnold, matched his velocity and trajectory to the scenario. Darnold, after all, was in his seventh NFL coaching camp.
Over time, NFL quarterbacks should grasp at the least three completely different ranges of passes: line drives, those who rise and fall shortly for intermediate targets and people with sufficient arc to hold within the air for longer-developing routes.
This spring, it was clear that McCarthy was experimenting with the degrees, the identical means a baseball pitcher would possibly check and attempt to broaden his repertoire throughout spring coaching. That may have been the case when McCarthy noticed receiver Jordan Addison open deep down the precise seam. McCarthy’s throw compelled Addison to decelerate to make the catch, sufficient of a delay {that a} defensive again in a sport scenario might need had time to interrupt up the play.
Talking typically, McCarthy mentioned he was experimenting along with his throws “each single day” this spring and added: “I imagine I’ve grown essentially the most on simply the completely different degree of trajectories of throw. At Michigan, I used to be sort of a one-speed pitch sort of man. I had a pair deeper balls with level-three throws and stuff like that, however [I’m] simply engaged on that two-ball and completely different paces to the ‘pitches’ and ball location.”
9️⃣ to three️⃣
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 10, 2025
He has private magnetism
It isn’t a prerequisite for successful soccer, nevertheless it’s definitely preferable for a workforce’s quarterback to have the kind of character that naturally attracts individuals into his orbit. At 22 years and 5 months, McCarthy is the second-youngest non-rookie on the Vikings’ roster. However gamers from either side of the ball have famous his energetic character and skill to attach.
Veteran security Harrison Smith referred to as McCarthy “a man that I take pleasure in being round so much.” Throughout practices, McCarthy embraces a youthful goofiness, bouncing round from gamers to coaches between reps. Off the sphere, gamers discover it straightforward to speak with him. As Smith put it: “He is his personal individual and sort of speaks his thoughts. [He] has his personal mind-set about issues.”
Jefferson famous that McCarthy “understands that he’s the beginning quarterback at this second” and “brings that with him to observe, realizing that he has to have that management.” Although it would carry little correlation to the Vikings’ success this season, McCarthy knew the names of the beat reporters who cowl the workforce by the point OTAs started.
“The factor I realized about myself,” McCarthy mentioned on the finish of minicamp, “is simply the burden that I maintain each single day and simply exhibiting up, being the identical man each single day, bringing that angle, effort and power.”
There are not any threats to his job on the roster
The Vikings acquired Sam Howell in a draft-day commerce with the Seattle Seahawks, and Howell was often the second quarterback to rotate into workforce drills, following McCarthy. That instructed Howell is the front-runner for the No. 2 job, however nothing he did this spring indicated he’ll push McCarthy to begin. Coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned Howell — who’s coming into his fourth NFL season — was studying among the similar classes as McCarthy this spring.
“He is sort of like J.J.,” O’Connell mentioned, “the place he is made some throws the place you are like, ‘Man, most likely should not have made that throw. However I now know on this play, I’ve bought to watch out of this.’ And it is all progress.”
O’Connell saved a few of his prime reward for undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
“I feel Max is as sensible as any younger participant that I have been round,” O’Connell mentioned, “from a standpoint of [the fact that he] actually hadn’t been uncovered to a number of reps this spring, however his possession of the data [is] sort of proper on par.”
O’Connell hasn’t topped a starter but
O’Connell is not the primary NFL coach to mood expectations a few extremely anticipated younger quarterback. However his feedback on McCarthy this spring match the attention check. He not too long ago referenced the “10,000 hour rule” popularized by creator Malcolm Gladwell because the tough observe timeframe it takes to grasp a ability.
“I really feel actually good about the place he is at basically,” O’Connell mentioned. “Nevertheless it’s nonetheless these 10,000 reps, these 10,000 hours, and we’re not that far into that course of, and I problem him daily to embrace it. [He] cannot be too exhausting on himself, however on the similar time, ‘What’s your customary to get not the place you might be proper now, however the place you wish to get to?’ And he is achieved a great job of attacking that daily.”
