When speaking with the local Twin Cities media earlier this week, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy came off as someone who is confident, eager to get back on the field, and ready to lead his team to success. McCarthy giving off any sort of nervous vibes wasn't a thought that had crossed anyone's mind, at least not until recently, when former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel attempted to make the claim.
During a recent episode of The Athletic's "Scoop City" podcast, Daniel, a former New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears quarterback who has been highly critical of the Vikings all offseason, shared some borderline insane feedback about McCarthy's presser.
"It just looked like, it sounded like it was almost rehearsed in his head a little bit. But I do believe he feels [that way]. I think it's just, mainly, we're making too big of a deal of this. He's just nervous to talk in front of the media, and look, he's a first-time starter. He hasn't played at all [in the NFL].
Now, he's got a hell of a roster behind him. I'm actually looking forward to seeing what he can do on the field. Because all this offseason talk about where's Sam Darnold, is Aaron Rodgers coming, I'm [just] excited to see what he can do on the field. [He] just looks a little green there, so he needs to work on that a little."
Chase Daniel has no idea what he is talking about when it comes to Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy
Daniel and his co-host of the "Scoop City" podcast, Dianna Russini, have been pushing the Aaron Rodgers to the Vikings narrative for almost the entire 2025 offseason. And now that it seems pretty clear that they, especially Russini, were wrong about that, their attention has apparently shifted to bashing McCarthy.
So, maybe we shouldn't be surprised by the comments from Daniel about McCarthy.
There was nothing about what the young quarterback said in his recent press conference that came off as nervous. But to Daniel, any sliver of hesitation that McCarthy might have had with an answer to a reporter's question clearly meant that he was just a nervous wreck standing behind the podium.
To be fair, it's not like Daniel has any idea about what sort of pressure is being placed on McCarthy's shoulders this offseason. Daniel was in the NFL for 13 years and started a whopping five games. He was never a full-time starter, he was a career backup, and he wasn't even drafted.
None of the 32 teams in the league ever felt he was good enough to open up a season with him as their Week 1 starter. He was a glorified Sean Mannion.
Good for Daniel for finding a way to remain in the NFL for as long as he did, but for him to sit there and say that McCarthy rehearsed his answers and he's nervous to talk in front of the media is incredibly foolish.
The whole claim of him being nervous to talk to the media is especially hilarious given where the Minnesota quarterback spent his college career.
McCarthy played for Michigan, one of the most popular and highly publicized college programs in the entire country. When the Wolverines played inside their home stadium, McCarthy played in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 people. If he was nervous about something football related, we would have known a long time ago.
If someone wants to question McCarthy's NFL experience, go right ahead. That's fine. But to say that McCarthy, of all people, is nervous to talk to a room full of maybe 15 local reporters in the middle of the offseason, it just shows how much some people really haven't been paying attention to everything he's said and done ever since he was drafted by the Vikings last year.