The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for the 2025 NFL season. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is going to be the major factor in whether or not the Vikings get back to the playoffs in 2025.
After finishing with a 14-3 record in 2024, many believe that Minnesota overachieved. However, the Vikings believe that they may have enough inside the locker room to compete for a Super Bowl title. If Minnesota wants to be in the Super Bowl conversation, McCarthy is going to have to be great out of the gates for this football team.
Minnesota Vikings Insider Talks About What the Team Has Done With J.J. McCarthy During OTAs and Mandatory Minicamp
Each NFL insider for The Athletic discussed one thing that they saw with respective teams during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Alec Lewis covers the Vikings and no doubt that the biggest story has been McCarthy so far this offseason. Lewis said,
“The Vikings weren’t babying J.J. McCarthy this spring. He may have been coming off of a torn meniscus, and he may only be in his second season, but Minnesota’s staff made the tests difficult. McCarthy received lengthy call sheets before practices. He was responsible for calls at the line of scrimmage. He was not at all chastised for mistakes, but the seriousness of each rep seemed evident.
McCarthy didn’t float perfectly through the weeks, but a steady stream of growth imprinted on the staffers monitoring him every day. He threw the ball with accuracy. His arm strength stood out. His ability to layer different throws continues to be the priority physically. However, the mental challenges of the spring became the most important. The team’s hope is that making it as hard as it’s been over the past few months will supercharge growth come training camp and the season.”
Having Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and T.J. Hockenson on the roster is no doubt going to help McCarthy’s development entering the 2025 NFL season. What can’t be overlooked is the fact that the Vikings made moves during the offseason to fix the offensive line after it failed to protect Sam Darnold in the playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. McCarthy may get off to a slow start but then get hot at the season progresses.
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