The Minnesota Vikings decided to move forward with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback after seeing Sam Darnold leave to sign with the Seattle Seahawks.
It was a move that signals the start of a new era for the Vikings’ franchise. McCarthy, who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, missed all of his rookie season due to a knee injury. He took some snaps in the team’s first preseason game last year, but that was it.
To move forward with McCarthy, Minnesota passed on an opportunity to pursue another quarterback option. Aaron Rodgers was interested in the Vikings, but they opted not to pursue him.
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Now, all of the pressure is on McCarthy to prove Minnesota right for its belief in him. He has the talent to become a franchise NFL quarterback, but he’ll need to show it on the field.
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Ahead of his first season as the Vikings’ starter, McCarthy has been hit with a brutal prediction.
Bleacher Report analyst Kristopher Knox recently wrote a new column about the biggest bust for each team in the NFL. When it came to the Vikings, he firmly placed McCarthy as the biggest predicted bust.
“Yet, the former Wolverine is going to face sky-high expectations in what is essentially his inaugural campaign. Minnesota won 14 games with Sam Darnold last season, then allowed Darnold to depart in free agency in order to hand the keys to McCarthy,” Knox wrote.
“Add the injury to the fact that McCarthy was never viewed as an elite prospect—the B/R Scouting Department ranked him 33rd overall on its final 2024 board—and it’s not hard to envision McCarthy experiencing his fair share of growing pains this season.”
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Knox isn’t predicting that McCarthy will be a bust as a player. He’s simply suggesting that the 2025 season will be a bust for the young quarterback.
Minnesota is asking a lot of a young quarterback who hasn’t taken a regular season snap. But, the Vikings feel that it’s time to see what the second-year signal caller is capable of producing.
McCarthy may be receiving some bad predictions, but he can shut up all the critics by leading Minnesota to the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what he’s able to do throughout the upcoming season.
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