J.J. McCarthy has been given the keys to the car this offseason, and the Minnesota Vikings are hoping that he can be the one to finally steer the franchise to its ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl.
We haven't heard from McCarthy much since he injured his knee last August, but on Tuesday, the young Vikings quarterback took some time to answer a few questions from the local Twin Cities media.
At one point, McCarthy was asked about how he is going to handle the tremendous pressure of becoming Minnesota's starting quarterback, and he couldn't have provided a better answer.
"Personally, I think the more pressure the better for me. That's something I thrive off of. They always say, the cliche, 'pressure is a privilege,' but that's something that you sign up for when you play in the National Football League, especially at the quarterback position.
I feel like pressure, all it does is just bring out what's inside of you, and I feel pretty good about what's inside of me, and the more pressure the better, honestly."
J.J. McCarthy continues to prove why the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft
Unfortunately for McCarthy, he had to sit on the sidelines for the entire 2024 campaign and watch his Minnesota teammates finish the regular season with an impressive 14-3 record. However, not playing at all in 2024 could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the second-year quarterback.
When it comes to actual in-game experience in the NFL, McCarthy has only appeared in part of a preseason game during his time in the league so far. So, some might view him as a rookie when he opens up the 2025 regular season as the Vikings' starting signal-caller.
However, everything McCarthy learned during the last year as a member of the organization is likely going to make people quickly realize that he is nothing close to a rookie next season.
And despite Minnesota moving forward with him as its starter for the 2025 campaign, they won't be asking him to put the entire team on his shoulders next season. The Vikings will still want McCarthy to perform at a high level, but they've spent the majority of the last few weeks building a roster that should make his transition to the starting lineup as easy as possible.
At this moment in time, Minnesota just needs someone who can steer the ship in a better direction that will result in the team finally earning a playoff win with Kevin O'Connell as its head coach.