The Vikings traded up to draft quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall with the idea that he’d be their quarterback of the future.
While McCarthy didn’t play as a rookie due to a knee injury suffered during the preseason, he could potentially become Minnesota’s starter as soon as 2025.
The Vikings have some decisions to make at QB, but General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in his Thursday press conference that McCarthy is progressing well after tearing his meniscus.
“He’s on the field, throwing and training,” Adofo-Mensah said, noting that he’d just seen McCarthy at the facility doing on-field rehab work. “He looks great. He’s excited. You talk about a kid who’s just obsessed with football and loves being around the game. So, we’re excited about what we have in him. We’re excited for this offseason for him. It’s a big offseason. And then, we’ll continue from there.”
While McCarthy did not play past the first preseason game, he was in the building all season and learned plenty, with Adofo-Mensah calling it “a great mental year.”
“It’s a redshirt year, but mentally, the process that they had, just in our exit meetings with him, just talking about how much he learned the year compared to other years in his football life, [it was] just exponential, which you would expect for a young player in this building,” Adofo-Menssah said. “So I think we’re really confident in him, his work ethic, and his preparation.”
Does that mean the Vikings would be comfortable heading into the 2025 season with him as the starter?
“But I can’t sit here and tell you I know anything for certain,” Adofo-Mensah said. “I know that I’m willing to believe in the person that we have. That position is about talent and preparation — and he’s got those things in spades. So, if that’s the course of action we decide, we’ll go in there confidently.”
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