The Minnesota Vikings are gearing up for the 2025 season with Kevin O’Connell at the helm, the winner of the 2024 AP NFL Coach of the Year award, and with the mission of capitalizing on the talent of their young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has stood out compared to conference rival quarterbacks such as Caleb Williams and Jordan Love.
After a strong 14-3 campaign last season, the priority now is to take the team beyond the Wild Card round and achieve postseason success. The 2025 NFL season presents an enticing opportunity to raise the bar even higher.
McCarthy appears fully recovered heading into the upcoming season after not stepping on the field at all last year. With Sam Darnold’s departure from the team, the young quarterback sees a starting opportunity and has expressed his feelings with a competitive mindset, setting himself apart from other young quarterbacks like Williams of the Chicago Bears and Love of the Green Bay Packers.
McCarthy’s statements
“I think I’m one of the, you know, most accurate guys out there. And just being able to take a day-to-day and, you know, really hone in on just every single throw. It’s not just, you know, ‘The ball was completed,’” McCarthy said, according to NBC Sports.
“It’s, ‘Did I give him a runner’s ball?’ ‘Did I put it on the right pad for him to turn a certain way?’ So, you know, just being able to really lean into that as one of my strengths is something that I always have to be extremely hard on, every single throw,” Vikings QB McCarthy added.
The NFC North race
The NFC North division features a competitive group of young quarterbacks, including Williams, McCarthy, and Love. The self-confidence of the young Vikings star reflects his belief that he can offer enough to prevail over his divisional rivals. In this regard, his role model would be an established figure like Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions.