The Minnesota Vikings are selling J.J. McCarthy hard to the public as the low-cost answer under center who can allow the team to compete seriously for its first Super Bowl in franchise history.
But even though 2025 is technically the quarterback’s second NFL campaign, his season-ending injury last August renders McCarthy, in many ways, a 22-year-old rookie stepping into the spotlight under the weight of major expectations.
Much will have to go right for McCarthy if the Vikings hope to exceed last years’s 14-win campaign, which ended in the first week of the playoffs. However, the team hasn’t had the kind of luck this summer that translates into Super Bowl gold.
Justin Jefferson is currently battling a hamstring injury, which has him sidelined currently and is limiting the reps he and McCarthy would otherwise share. More recently, tight end T.J. Hockenson suffered a complex injury of his own.
“Kevin O’Connell said tight end T.J. Hockenson is dealing with a ‘hip, leg, back — whatever you want to classify it [as],’ issue that he suffered in practice on Saturday,” Judd Zulgad of SKOR North reported Monday.
Jefferson is a superstar and Minnesota’s No. 1 wideout, while Hockenson is a two-time Pro Bowler and the top tight end. It remains unclear if their injuries will spill over into the regular season. Even if they don’t, the missed preseason reps in August are a considerably bigger deal with a QB as inexperienced as McCarthy.
The most recent bit of bad news, and the worst by far — an announcement from the league on Tuesday, August 5, that it has suspended WR2 Jordan Addison for three games — is most certainly going to have an impact on the functional beginning of McCarthy’s professional career, which starts September 8 against the Chicago Bears.
NFL Suspends Vikings WR Jordan Addison 3 Games for DUI
Adam Schefter of ESPN broke the news of Addison’s suspension on Tuesday afternoon.
“Discipline: NFL suspended Vikings WR Jordan Addison for the first three games of the 2025 regular season for violating the league’s Substances of Abuse Policy,” Schefter posted to his X account. “Addison now will miss games at Chicago, vs. the Falcons and vs. the Bengals.”
https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1952826971609809386
“Jordan Addison will be permitted to participate in all training camp activities, including preseason games without restriction,” Schefter continued.
Addison, a first-round pick in 2023, has amassed 133 receptions for 1,786 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns in 32 games played (29 starts) over his first two campaigns. He also proved a viable No. 1 option during a prolonged injury absence for Jefferson in 2023.
Jalen Nailor will likely elevate into the WR2 role, while rookie Tai Felton could slot into the No. 3 spot during Addison’s absence.
J.J. McCarthy’s Season Will Be Even Harder Due to Injuries, Disciplinary Actions Hampering Pass-Catching Corps
The irony of the injury/suspension issues involving the Vikings’ pass-catching corps is that McCarthy will get a full slate of preseason work with Addison, assuming he doesn’t suffer an injury, but won’t have him for the first three games of the year.
Meanwhile, McCarthy is more likely than not to have access to Jefferson and Hockenson come Week 1, but will be operating at a practice-rep deficiency with each of them.
Minnesota still has a healthier and much-improved offensive line to help McCarthy, not to mention O’Connell’s savvy as a play-caller/schemer and a quality running back tandem in Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason.
All of that said, missing Addison for multiple games and missing time with his other two top targets in the days and weeks to come equates to nothing but bad news for the young Vikings quarterback.
