After two straight losses, the Minnesota Vikings desperately need to get back on track quickly if they want to salvage their 2025 playoff hopes. More specifically, second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy has to find his footing, both literally and figuratively.
Minnesota's attempt to develop McCarthy on the fly has been erratic, to put it mildly. His youthfulness has been on full display, and frankly, it's sunk the team. He continues to catch flak for riding the struggle bus, though Vikings running back Aaron Jones' faith in him hasn't wavered.
Jones addressed the media ahead of the Vikings' upcoming NFC North clash with the Green Bay Packers. He reflected on McCarthy's last outing and sophomore campaign generally, expressing that the issues in Minnesota go well beyond the 2024 No. 10 overall pick.
Aaron Jones comes to J.J. McCarthy's defense as Minnesota Vikings continue to struggle
As a team captain and respected member of a veteran-laden Vikings squad, Jones ostensibly feels the burden of McCarthy's shortcomings. The former recognizes that it's on him and the seasoned contributors on the roster to step up while the latter gets his bearings.
"My goal and my responsibility is to make [McCarthy's] job easier, but also echo [that message] to the nine other [offensive players].
We've got to make his job easier, and once he's gotten some of those reps and some of those things, he's going to make our jobs easier. But in the early stages, you've got to make his job easier."
Jones used his past experiences in Green Bay for reference. He would reiterate that same message to the Packers locker room when Jordan Love was settling in as the Packers' signal-caller. Alas, the one-time Pro Bowler believes the rest of the group must help a young, inexperienced leader under center, with him being no exception.
"That's the same thing I echoed with Jordan [Love] when I was there in Green Bay. It's just a matter of execution ... catching what's thrown to you, and I've had a drop too, so I'm in that boat. ... it doesn't all fall on [McCarthy]. If we execute and we handle some of those things, he wouldn't be getting looked at how he is."
Following the Vikings' Week 11 loss to the Chicago Bears, Jones was spotted delivering a message to McCarthy. The specifics of said interaction weren't revealed -- until the tailback decided to share with reporters.
"I told J.J. [McCarthy] after the game I was proud of him. "Just that never quit [mentality]. I've seen guys turn the ball over, maybe fumble the ball, and they get in a place where they really can't go back on the field, or when they step back on the field, they're not themselves.
For him to always keep us in the game or even give us a chance at the end, where we go up and win it. That's what I'm most proud of: that he's not giving up. He's not quitting. He makes a mistake, he's holding himself accountable, and then he's coming on the sideline like, 'hey, I can't do that.'"