There have been questions about whether the Minnesota Vikings made the right move sticking with J.J. McCarthy as the new starting quarterback in 2025.
McCarthy never got to step on the field in 2024 as he suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason after one game. The 2024 first-round pick of the Vikings was on IR, learning behind Sam Darnold, who led Minnesota to a 14-3 record and a Wild Card spot.
That only caused more confusion in the offseason about what the Vikings should do at quarterback, given Darnold’s incredible season and Aaron Rodgers's departure from the New York Jets to become a free agent. Darnold would end up signing with the Seattle Seahawks, and Minnesota decided to pick McCarthy over Rodgers for 2025.
Even with looming concerns from the media, McCarthy’s teammates have backed him up.
The Vikings' running back, Aaron Jones, appeared on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. He was asked about making a case for McCarthy to be the starting quarterback in Minnesota. Jones kept it simple and looked at his success on the field: winning games.
“J.J.’s a winner. If you look from high school through his time in college, he’s lost one career game. He came in his short time there, he was balling. The preseason he ended up getting hurt unfortunately, but I think it might have been a quarterback battle if he didn’t get hurt. He’s different here. He’s a competitor. He wants to be great and he’s hungry so I think you’ll see it when he steps on the field.”
Jones completed his first season with the Vikings in 2024 after spending his previous seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He finished with 1,138 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 17 games last year. Minnesota rewarded him with a two-year deal to be the starting running back through 2026.
McCarthy has an impeccable record as a starting quarterback in college. He went 27-1 as the starter for the Michigan Wolverines. He led Michigan to a national title in 2023 after leading the Big Ten in completion percentage (72.3%) and quarterback rating (167.4).
After a $300 million offseason for the Vikings in spending, McCarthy has all the tools needed to succeed and the backing of the organization to lead Minnesota to its first Super Bowl title.
