Kevin O'Connell: Really confident in J.J. McCarthy, really excited for him to hit ground running

The Vikings haven't slammed the door on the possibility of adding Aaron Rodgers or any other quarterback to the roster before the start of the 2025 season, but the first choice in Minnesota is for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to be the leader of the offense.

McCarthy hasn't been dubbed the starter at this point, but he was selected early to fill that role and his recovery from last summer's torn mensicus has progressed far enough for that to be a realistic scenario in Minnesota. Leaving the door open for another move may create some doubt that McCarthy is the right man for the job, but head coach Kevin O'Connell tried to douse it in an interview with Kevin Clark of ESPN this weekend.O'Connell dismissed concerns about McCarthy playing in a run-heavy offense at Michigan by noting "his ability to throw the ball in windows over the middle of the field" and the way the Wolverines leaned on him on "weighty downs" on their way to a national title.



O'Connell said they are looking for the same thing in their offense and that he believes McCarthy's 2024 experience will help him master the scheme. "He got to watch it," O'Connell said. "He got to see what meetings were like.

What’s it like when I install third-down plays, and we talk about the reads, and we talk about the detail of how we’re going to play against this opponent who plays like this this week. And I think he’s been around all that. Yeah, he’s not a rookie.

He’s been able to have, you know, that pseudo redshirt year, albeit without the reps we have wanted, but I’m really confident, really excited to see him hit the ground running. He’s had a great offseason and can’t wait to get going with him."The prospect of Rodgers joining the club would disappear if he signs with the Steelers and that would all but officially make it full speed ahead for McCarthy with the Vikings, but things are pointing in that direction even as Rodgers lingers on the market and O'Connell's confidence suggests that they'll be rolling with the younger player.

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