After missing his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus, J.J. McCarthy finally took some meaningful snaps in 2025—just not as many as Kevin O'Connell would have liked.
First, the 22-year-old missed five games early in the season after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. Then, after suffering a concussion in Week 12 against the Green Bay Packers, he was forced to sit out the Vikings' Week 13 matchup with Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks.
In Week 16, facing the New York Giants, McCarthy was forced to exit after suffering a small hairline fracture in his throwing hand, an ailment that forced him to miss Minnesota's Week 17 date with the Detroit Lions.
And after aggravating the injury in Week 18 during the rematch with the Packers, he pulled himself out of the game to avoid further harm, thus ending his season.
When McCarthy did actually take the field, it was a mixed bag.
There were certainly some bright spots throughout the season, obviously starting with his Week 1 miracle against the Chicago Bears, in which he led the Vikings to an improbable comeback victory by throwing two touchdowns and running for another in the fourth quarter, and also including solid outings against the Lions, Washington Commanders, and Dallas Cowboys.
From an overall standpoint, however, he left a lot to be desired, ultimately finishing his first real season having completed just 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while adding 181 yards and four scores on the ground.
J.J. McCarthy gets a big-time endorsement from his Minnesota Vikings teammate
Given the injury history and the up-and-down nature of his play, there has naturally been plenty of talk about the Vikings bringing in a veteran to compete with McCarthy for the QB1 role ahead of the 2026 season.
But from the way it sounds, right guard Will Fries—who was Minnesota's healthiest offensive lineman during the 2025 season, by the way, taking 98.8 percent of the offensive snaps—is ready to move forward with McCarthy as the starter.
"I absolutely love playing with J.J. What a tremendous leader he is for how young he is. He's got a lot of moxie and swagger to him. Like anyone, he is going to continue to get better. But man, he is so much fun to play with.
Every time he goes out and gets that look in his eye in the huddle, you know at any moment he is going to catch fire and do something big. I'm excited for his growth, his development, and his future. He's so much fun to play with. I'll go into battle with him and protect him."
Right tackle Brian O'Neill echoed the same sentiment, saying, "I love that kid. I'm excited to see his development and growth go forward."
While McCarthy undoubtedly showed some improvement as the season progressed, he certainly has much more work to do over the next six months, both with his mechanics and his decision-making.
Whether the Michigan alum is genuinely the Vikings' long-term future at quarterback obviously remains to be seen. But a big part in becoming a franchise QB is having the trust of your teammates, and McCarthy at least has some of that going for him heading into a crucial offseason.