How J.J. McCarthy is approaching his ‘grand opportunity’ as the Vikings quarterback

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EAGAN, Minn. — The shirts symbolize the expectation. They say “More is Required,” and they were hanging in the lockers of all of the Minnesota Vikings when they returned for offseason workouts.

It’s been a fun couple of years. They’ve won a lot of games. They’ve made the playoffs twice. They have a well-regarded culture. Kevin O’Connell was the NFL’s Coach of the Year. The superlatives don’t stop there, but the shirts and the statements from veterans over the last few weeks make one thing evident: Winning when the games matter most is the next bar to clear. Every speech, every workout, every rep must align with that vision.

In most instances, this might sound like classic offseason commentary. A team gets obliterated in the playoffs, and the players say what they must say. While there may be some of that at play, the Vikings are spending more than $300 million on their 2025 roster. O’Connell was recently extended for tens of millions. If now isn’t the time to up the ante, then what is?

One of the most fascinating layers to the Vikings’ goal is at the game’s most important position. J.J. McCarthy is not only an unproven 22-year-old who has never played a regular-season down in the National Football League, but he’s also eight months removed from a full repair to his torn meniscus. All of the patchwork to the roster won’t matter if McCarthy cannot perform. The Vikings’ actions, beginning with moving on from Sam Darnold and including the choice not to chase Aaron Rodgers, confirm a level of conviction many of the team’s leaders have reiterated.

Tuesday, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard mentioned McCarthy’s work ethic and genuine care for teammates.

“That’s what you want out of your quarterback,” Greenard said, “especially when he has this grand opportunity in front of him.”

Grand opportunity. There may not be a better way to describe McCarthy’s current situation. He has an unimpeded path to securing the starting job in a quarterback-friendly system with a retooled offensive line and a fearsome defense. Does he think he’s ready for the smoke, the pressure of being the guy for a team seeking to accomplish as much as this one is?

“I know I’m ready,” McCarthy responded Tuesday.

LIVE: @jjmccarthy09 talks to the media during the offseason program https://t.co/82JPLbaJud

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 29, 2025

He has most of the prerequisites. McCarthy knows what it’s like to navigate the noise. Remember Connor Stalions and the sign-stealing operation? Remember Jim Harbaugh’s suspension? Sherrone Moore’s fill-in and everything that came with it?

McCarthy understands pressure. At Michigan, you either beat Ohio State or fail. There is no in between. McCarthy got two starting opportunities against the Scarlet and Gray and twice sent them away in disgust.

The expectations didn’t subside after those victories. Maintaining his hero status meant beating Alabama in the Rose Bowl. It meant staring down Nick Saban’s revered defense and lighting up the scoreboard for three touchdowns. It meant showing up in Houston to face another well-respected team in Washington with a highly touted quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. It meant winning when folks expect you to win.

“I feel like pressure brings out what’s inside of you,” McCarthy said Tuesday. “I feel pretty good about what’s inside of me.”

The Vikings did, too. That’s why, after an exhaustive evaluation process led by O’Connell involving plane flights, on-field workouts and lunches with prospects, the team traded up a spot to land McCarthy. Minnesota never intended to immediately toss him to the wolves. McCarthy needed time to adapt his footwork to O’Connell’s system, and the Vikings wanted him to seep in the verbiage.

There was also the matter of his ability to layer throws. By decreasing the pressure last spring and summer, the Vikings believed he’d be set up for an optimal developmental environment. His performance in training camp, including the first preseason game against the Raiders, cleared the way for first-team reps in Cleveland during joint practices. Those never came to fruition because of his injury, but nobody around here has forgotten the zip of his throws or the energy he exuded afterward.

“You can tell he wants it really bad,” said right tackle Brian O’Neill.

When an opportunity you’re desperate for is ripped away by something out of your control, what do you do? That was a new one for McCarthy. He said he couldn’t move around the way he wanted to, which is why he dropped weight and landed “in the range of” 180 pounds. He scribbled in a gratitude journal, a nod to the late Greg Harden, a Michigan staffer who became an influential voice for Tom Brady. McCarthy ate lunch with O’Connell. He stood on the sidelines and listened to O’Connell manage the game, while Darnold managed the play. He watched film through the eyes of a camera positioned on Darnold’s helmet. He turned to quotes that guided him, such as, “Find calm in the chaos, and chaos in the calm.”

This spring, McCarthy celebrated the Vikings’ moves just like everyone else. Rodgers’ name surfaced, and he noted Tuesday he has a ton of respect for the future Hall of Famer: “One of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game,” he said. “But all I was focusing on was the day-to-day task, what I was doing at home to make myself the best player I can be and best overall man. Yeah, those blinders were on, just like they’ve been on my whole career.”

They’re still on now as he returns to the field. For the first time since last fall, McCarthy threw Tuesday in front of the media. His whippy arm action looks the same. He bounced from drill to drill. Deep balls spiraled aggressively, and flat routes hummed. He wore a backward hat, looking like the kid he still is.

Minnesota’s leaders are mindful of his age and experience. They also don’t want to hinder McCarthy from leading the way he always has, nor do they want him to feel like his voice has to carry the most weight.

“We don’t need him to come in and be the Patrick Mahomes of the team right now,” safety Josh Metellus said. “We have a veteran team for a reason to welcome a guy like this, where he can just focus on his day-to-day process.”

And as cliched as it may sound, that’s all the Vikings need right now from McCarthy. Running from the magnitude of the opportunity isn’t the right approach, but allowing it to torpedo what’s important isn’t, either.

He was asked Tuesday whether he feels he needs to win the starting job. He said that the optimal approach is keeping with a “non-comparative” mindset. He was also asked what he needs to do, as a young player at his position, to garner the trust and respect of the team. He used phrases like “be dependable,” “be reliable” and “be a true pro.”

“Just be me,” he said. “The rest will take care of itself.”

(Photo: Abbie Parr / Associated Press)

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