J.J. McCarthy’s opportunity becoming Vikings’ focus after NFL league meetings

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — Sitting at a round table amid a lively courtyard at the NFL’s annual league meetings, Mark Wilf smiled. The Minnesota Vikings’ co-owner had just been asked about Aaron Rodgers. What has he thought about the Rodgers debate? Is he as ready to move on from the subject as everybody else? First, the grin. Then the customary response.

“Tremendous respect for Aaron Rodgers,” Wilf said. “A four-time MVP. We had to face him two and sometimes more times for many years. So, a lot of respect for him as a great athlete and a great part of the NFL.”

Wilf cited coach Kevin O’Connell’s decades-long relationship with Rodgers. He said he leaves the football decisions to O’Connell, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski. He eventually made his way to J.J. McCarthy and to how excited he is to watch the 22-year-old quarterback develop alongside a well-constructed roster.

And that was that. No more Rodgers conversation — nothing more needed to be said.

“We, as an ownership and a franchise,” Wilf said, “are going to make sure all the resources are in place to maximize (J.J.’s) potential.”

This was emblematic. On Monday morning, O’Connell publicly broached the Rodgers topic for the first time, denying that the team’s communication with Rodgers signaled anything negative about McCarthy. The coach then moved on to the rest of the team and many of its recent signings. He, Wilf and the Vikings brass preferred to talk about what is and no longer what was or what could have been.

Unless McCarthy or the team provides any reason to revisit the subject, turning the page is appropriate for everyone. McCarthy’s health, development and performance are now the No. 1 topic both for 2025 and the Vikings’ long-term outlook.

“I feel very good about projecting a really positive year for J.J.,” O’Connell said, “and now we’ve got to go to work and do it. Talking about it in March and April doesn’t do a whole lot.”

“We wanted to make sure J.J. feels he’s in a position to hit the ground running this spring, have a great spring and put himself in position to have a great 2025.” – Head Coach Kevin O’Connell

📺: https://t.co/LTkytMyAzR pic.twitter.com/rJCHsyB63e

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 31, 2025

The Vikings have monitored McCarthy’s workload throughout the offseason. His throws have been counted. Yet the coaching staff cannot monitor him more closely until the offseason workout period begins. Until then, it only has his history to go on.

Wilf shared Monday that his belief in McCarthy derives from his confidence in O’Connell, and his appreciation for how thorough the 2024 NFL Draft process was. A member of the Vikings’ ownership group joined the franchise’s football personnel during private workouts. Those trips cemented McCarthy as a prospect worth climbing up a spot for at No. 10, and his training camp performance backed the Vikings’ vision.

McCarthy had begun to turn heads in practices before the team’s first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. His 188-yard, two-touchdown showing that afternoon provided the Vikings enough motivation for O’Connell to ramp up McCarthy’s first-team reps a couple of days later at joint practices in Cleveland.

His torn meniscus torpedoed the Vikings’ plans, but O’Connell has not forgotten those summer afternoons as a data point. McCarthy checked physical boxes with his arm strength on throws over the middle and to the sideline. He left a few questions from an aptitude standpoint with his ability to decipher O’Connell’s system. O’Connell observed how teammates chest-bumped him after throws and interacted with him in the locker room.

“His style seems to resonate with the guys,” O’Connell said. “All of those things lead you to believe you can project really positive things. But we don’t get the benefit of a time machine.”

Uncertainty has not forced Minnesota to scrap its plan. The Vikings chose not to franchise-tag Sam Darnold, who led them to a 14-3 record and went to his first Pro Bowl. It was decided that Rodgers did not make sense for them at this time. The Vikings will add another quarterback to the room before the activity ramps up this summer, but they haven’t limited their options as far as who that player might be. Free agency is one avenue, but the Vikings aren’t likely to do anything to hurt their chances at compensatory picks in 2026. They also have not ruled out a trade for a player they see as a good fit for the dynamics of the quarterback room.

Even this pursuit will keep McCarthy in mind. O’Connell feels that the chemistry of a quarterback room matters integrally to its success. The wrong personality can have a negative effect, which is why the Vikings were as deliberate as they were in finding a replacement for assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski. Minnesota landed Jordan Traylor, who was familiar with quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and will work actively with McCarthy.

It is also worth noting O’Connell said Monday that he, specifically, will take on a “very, very personal” role in McCarthy’s progress.

“It’s a responsibility for me as the play caller to make sure I’m building that rapport (with him),” he said, “in addition to demanding a standard at the position from an early time here that I think he’s going to meet and challenge himself to meet on a daily basis.”

The only barrier to the excitement now is the slow build. Organized team activities are the first week of school of the NFL schedule. What matters for the Vikings’ present and future won’t happen until May, but McCarthy’s opportunity to prove himself is coming.

(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)

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