J.J. McCarthy is preparing for his first season as the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, and it sounds like he's enjoying his time with the purple and gold. When he was selected as a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the hope was that he could become a franchise quarterback.
He may still have to prove he can be the man in Minnesota, but it is becoming clear that Minnesota is growing on the man. The former University of Michigan quarterback and Illinois native recently made those feelings clear.
J.J. McCarthy continues to embrace his team while preparing for his first regular season start with the Minnesota Vikings.
The NFL recently shared a video on X that showed Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy talking about his excitement for training camp and being able to interact with the fans in attendance to watch the practices.
"I'm so looking forward to just seeing them here, hearing the SKOL chants. And we've got the best fan base in the NFL. I guarantee that. Just being able to interact with them individually and as a collective, they're just awesome."
The 22-year-old passer was forced to sit out the entire 2024 season with a knee injury. Minnesota turned to Sam Darnold in his absence and led the team to a 14-win season and earned a spot in the playoffs.
Now, the pressure is on McCarthy to generate that same kind of excitement for the upcoming season. He won't have to be perfect. He will make mistakes. But learning from those can help him become the player the Vikings hope he can be.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did a great job of getting the offense ready for McCarthy. An improved offensive line combined with numerous weapons should help Coach of the Year Kevin O'Connell put a team on the field to be competitive. That could depend on how much solid play he can get from his new starter at quarterback after seeming getting the most possible out of Darnold last season.
Hearing Minnesota's new quarterback speak so fondly about the team and the fans in a video shared by the NFL for every fan base to see is a great way to have fans who were skeptical come around, but it's going to take a lot more than words to take the team where they hope to go in the future.