The Minnesota Vikings have found their quarterback of the future, but by no means is JJ McCarthy perfect. First, McCarthy is coming off a season-ending injury, as he tore his meniscus in the Vikings 2024 preseason opener. At the time, he was competing with Sam Darnold for the starting job. However, the year off did the Michigan product some good, as he was able to learn behind a stable veteran like Darnold. Now, he's ready to take the reins – but he might be a bit too enthusiastic.
If there is any consistent critique of McCarthy, it's that he doesn't layer the ball well to his wide receivers. By that, I mean McCarthy has such tremendous arm strength that at times he needs to take a little off. It's something McCarthy's own teammates, such as wide receiver Justin Jefferson, have noticed in his year-plus in the NFL. While JJ has impressed his coaches with tight window throws thus far at OTAs, ESPN reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out one concern:
"I've struggled to square what I've seen of J.J. McCarthy (2024/25) with some pre-draft assessments of his arm. He's not John Elway, Brett Favre or even Sam Darnold, but he makes the throws. Maybe I'll be proven wrong when the games start, but for now it's not a top-of-mind issue," Seifert wrote on social media from Vikings OTAs.
Should Vikings fans be worried about JJ McCarthy?
Oddly enough, Seifert appears to be questioning McCarthy's arm strength in this tweet, rather than relitigating the concerns mentioned above. It also doesn't add up, as McCarthy threw the ball 61 MPH at the NFL Combine, which was second in his rookie class behind Joe Milton, who was drafted by the New England Patriots.
That being said, this was all prior to McCarthy's injury. Recovering from a meniscus injury is tough enough, but McCarthy was already criticized for his footwork prior to the NFL Draft. Kevin O'Connell may be a quarterback whisperer, but McCarthy was forced to re-learn how to use his lower half at his chosen profession. That's not an exaggeration.
JJ McCarthy says all the right things at Vikings OTAs
While there have been questions about McCarthy's recovery time – so much so that the Vikings reportedly considered signing Aaron Rodgers at one point this offseason – the player himself is saying all the right things publicly.
"It feels amazing," McCarthy said of being back on the field. "When you get it taken away from you, you take every chance you get to be back out here and really appreciate it, really take the most out of it. There's just nothing better than being out here with the boys, playing some ball."
The concerns are natural, especially for such a young player who hasn't played an official NFL down yet. McCarthy has a lot to prove coming off injury.