At long last, Vikings fans — and writers, too — have earned the update that everyone has been looking for in recent weeks.
Sophomore passer J.J. McCarthy is going to be under center in Week 9. To a certain extent, that’s old news. After all, the writing has been on the wall for a little while before being confirmed earlier in the week. The good news — what makes the update golden — is that the 22-year-old passer is sitting in a great spot with his physical health.
Vikings Fans Get the Golden McCarthy Update
A central truth about the NFL: every team is trying to succeed.
Teams such as the Jets and Browns — and, indeed, the Vikings from time to time — strain the credibility of that basic, seemingly obvious statement. It nonetheless remains true. The only factor that gets toggled is whether success is being chased in the present moment or in the future. For Minnesota, the emphasis may begin shifting toward the future if more losses arrive in short order.
Even if 2025 does slip away, there’s at least plenty of reason to tune in. After all, Mr. McCarthy is finally sitting at 100%.
The quarterback chatted with the media earlier in the week. He was poised, charming, and confident, proclaiming himself fully back, indicating that his ankle is “amazing” and that he “feel[s] like [himself] again.” Not too long afterwards, there was a simple, declarative statement that he’s “ready to go.”
So, too, did Kevin O’Connell take some time for the media.
Consider Coach O’Connell’s Wednesday’s update about his young QB1: “J.J. McCarthy will have a full week of preparation. He’s in a really good place from a health standpoint.” Those twin details — complete preparation and health — are what the top football coach in the Twin Cities has been prioritizing.
The head coach then noted the value of McCarthy being able to watch Carson Wentz. Later on, there was a question about whether O’Connell needed to see anything else in practice to offer the full green light to McCarthy. The answer was a single word: “No.”
Without question, J.J. McCarthy hasn’t been good enough.
The No. 10 pick from the 2024 NFL Draft has played in two games, leading his Vikings to a 1-1 record. Completing just 58.5% of his passes is very ugly. Put bluntly, there’s no scenario where being below 60% is going to be good enough within the modern NFL, a league that’s setup to allow a passer to complete passes much easier than in the past.
Consider, as well, that McCarthy is sitting on a trio of interceptions alongside a trio of fumbles. In total, that’s a half dozen opportunities for the defense to pry the ball away. Again, nowhere close to good enough.
But then he has also demonstrated positive moments. Most notably, there was his 4th-quarter comeback under the lights of Monday Night Football while playing the Bears at Soldier Field. Pulling off the win involved a fastball to Justin Jefferson for a touchdown, a layered ball to Aaron Jones for a touchdown, and him running for a score to finish things off. Ample potential got demonstrated in those moments.
J.J. McCarthy is going to be under center in Week 9. He’ll yet again be playing a divisional foe on the road. This time, McCarthy is going to be in Detroit to try to tame the Lions inside of Ford Field. Winning will mean pushing the Vikings up to 4-4 and with a (modest) chance of getting into the postseason. Losing means sliding down to 3-5 and possibly looking to sell off talent prior to the trade deadline.
No matter what, the McCarthy update does arrive as excellent news for Vikings fans. The kid needs on-field reps and experience just as the team needs the kid to get on-field reps and experience so that everyone can learn whether he’s the future at quarterback. Even if success doesn’t arrive in 2025, knowing whether McCarthy can have success beyond the current season is a vitally important piece of information.
We’ll all get a glimpse into the future on Sunday, November 2nd at 12 p.m. CT when J.J. McCarthy jogs onto the field to try to do something special.
