Minnesota traded up in the draft to select QB J.J. McCarthy a year ago but he suffered a torn meniscus in training camp that ended his rookie year before it began.
McCarthy made his first extended comments since early in the season recently, where he opened up on the difficulty of missing all of his first season in the NFL.
“It’s been really hard if I’m going to be straight up,” McCarthy said, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
Following QB Sam Darnold‘s career resurgence, the Vikings have a decision to make whether to give Darnold a massive pay raise or move on to allow McCarthy to take over as the starter.
McCarthy was asked if he spoke with HC Kevin O’Connell about their plans in 2025 and revealed both sides want what’s best for the organization. He also acknowledged that the tough calls at the QB position are out of his control.
“Our conversations have just been about nothing but the greatest thing for the Minnesota Vikings. At the end of the day, there are a lot of things that are certainly above my pay grade and some things above his,” McCarthy said.
Heading into his second season and first healthy year, McCarthy just wants a fair chance to earn the starting job.
“All I can ask for is a fair opportunity. That’s the one thing that I feel like everybody’s given and it’s fundamental,” McCarthy added.
With the possibility that Darnold will be brought back on a larger salary in 2025, McCarthy is focusing on controlling what he can and not fixating on his amount of reps and how they are distributed.
“When money gets involved, things get complicated and reps get skewed and there’s different things that come into the whole political world that everyone talks about. But I really just have to focus on controlling what I can control. My feelings don’t matter,” he said.
McCarthy, 21, led Michigan to a National Championship in 2023 and was named first-team All-Big Ten. The Vikings used the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 draft on McCarthy.
The No. 10 overall pick is signed a sign a four-year, $21,854,796 contract that includes a $12,714,396 signing bonus and will carry a $3,973,599 cap figure for the 2024 season. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028.
During his time at Michigan, McCarthy started 28 of 40 games, completing 67.6% of his passes for 6,226 yards and 49 touchdowns, adding 632 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
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