Last summer, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell gave J.J. McCarthy a ringing endorsement as the team's quarterback of the future. "Everyone should be excited that we got our young franchise quarterback in the building,” O’Connell said in August after McCarthy underwent season-ending knee surgery.

J.J. McCarthy’s rookie season ended suddenly when he was injured in the preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders in August. It is not completely put of the question, that the 2024 first-round pick could actually make his NFL regular-season debut as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders and not the Minnesota Vikings the team that traded up to take the Michigan quarterback.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy's physical readiness for the 2025 season will sway their decision on Sam Darnold; he took a step forward this week.

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah revealed the team’s plans for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who the team drafted No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy was sidelined all season due to a preseason knee injury,

The quarterback position was central to the conversation at the end of season press conferences that the Vikings held on Thursday.

Should the Vikings pay Darnold after his (mostly) excellent season? Or should they go with McCarthy and spend that money at other positions?

Whether the J.J. McCarthy era in Minnesota will begin in Week 1 of the 2025 season remains to be seen. But as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said, “If that’s the course of action we decide, we’ll go in there confidently.