When the Minnesota Vikings made it clear that they were parting ways with six-year starter Kirk Cousins following the 2023 season, it was evident that they'd be going after a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, ultimately trading up to select J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall.
McCarthy had just recently helped Michigan win its first national title since 1997 by having the best year of his career with the Wolverines, completing a Big Ten-best 72.3 percent of his passes for 2,991 yards with 22 touchdowns against just four interceptions, adding another 202 yards and three scores on the ground.
So, expectations were naturally pretty high. But, of course, everything came crashing down when McCarthy suffered what turned out to be a season-ending meniscus tear in his right knee, at which point Sam Darnold stepped up and took advantage by having the best year of his career in leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record.
With Darnold out of the picture, McCarthy has once again been handed the reins, and he may be under even more pressure now, given what Darnold accomplished last season. But superstar wideout Justin Jefferson has all the faith in the world in his new signal-caller and recently gave his young quarterback a big confidence boost during a recent interview with Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz.
"As his teammate and as a captain of the team, just trying to make him dialed in every chance that I can.
Our lockers are right next to each other, so every chance that I get to talk to him about football, about anything that goes on outside of football. Just try to get to know him as much as I can because when the season comes and whenever we're locked in, I want him to be just as confident as I am of him to make the plays out there."
That's undoubtedly the guy you want having your back, so McCarthy has to feel great hearing that.
Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy faces a ton of pressure, but having Justin Jefferson makes his job easier
As mentioned, McCarthy might have even more pressure on him now than he did a year ago at this time.
Obviously, there's always pressure that comes with being a first-round pick, especially at the quarterback position. And Darnold doing what he did a season ago doesn't make things any easier.
Darnold, of course, failed to live up to his draft status for years after being taken with the third overall pick in the 2018 draft by the New York Jets, with whom he spent three seasons before a two-year stint with the Carolina Panthers and a one-year run as Brock Purdy's backup with the San Francisco 49ers.
But he certainly looked like a first-rounder with Minnesota, setting career highs in completion percentage (66.2), passing yards (4,319), touchdown passes (35), and passer rating (102.5), which earned him a three-year, $100.5 million deal this offseason with the Seattle Seahawks.
If McCarthy can come anywhere close to those numbers, Vikings fans will be absolutely thrilled. And the 22-year-old obviously has an advantage over many first-year starters, as he has arguably the best receiver in the NFL to throw to in Jefferson, who simply makes life easier for any quarterback.
With Darnold under center last year, Jefferson recorded 103 catches for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns, and it sure sounds like he's confident that he can continue to produce with McCarthy at the helm.