Football is in the air, as we have already reached the pads phase of this year’s training camp, and the […]
Football is in the air, as we have already reached the pads phase of this year’s training camp, and the players can start to hit each other. The next step will be the preseason, when they are allowed to hit opponents, which the Vikings will kick off on August 9 with a home game against the Houston Texans.
Preseason Plan for J.J. McCarthy Comes to Light
Flashbacks of last year’s preseason come to mind, when promising rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy looked good on one day and was lost for the season the other.
Well, let’s hope the second aspect will not be in this year’s cards. McCarthy is fully cleared (and has been for a while) and is ready for some live reps. Nowadays, however, preseason reps are far from guaranteed for starters, and Kevin O’Connell has rested most of his top guys in his three years in charge.
Yet, the sophomore’s situation is a little different than Kirk Cousins’ in the past. He’s not a veteran; heck, rewatching all his NFL throws takes about two minutes because all of them came in the 2024 preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders.
So what’s the plan? Resting him or giving him some reps? Both options can be beneficial, but it seems as if the Vikings want to give their young starter at least some exposure.
FantasyLife‘s Thor Nystrom reported that McCarthy will suit up in the first game. He noted on social media, “I can confirm something that the Vikings have strongly hinted at — JJ McCarthy will play in the first preseason game (vs HOU/Aug 9), but the plan is to sit him out in the last 2 (vs NEP/Aug 16 | at TEN/Aug 22).”
Nystrom, one of McCarthy’s top proponents, will get to see his guy in action, it sounds like.
Last week, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who drafted McCarthy 15 months ago, chimed in. “He might not get as much time to play as much as he did in that (Raiders) game,” GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told KFAN’s Paul Allen. “I think he’ll play in that first game.”
In last year’s preseason debut, McCarthy struggled early on. It didn’t help that Las Vegas played various starters against Minnesota’s second-team offense. In his second quarter (the third quarter of the game), however, McCarthy was exceptional. That’s when he hit a couple of touchdowns, and the McCarthy hype reached new heights in the Twin Cities.
His numbers showed 11 of 17 passes completed for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
McCarthy showed the usual rookie flaws, but also some impressive arm strength and mobility, as well as the ability to bounce back from the interception. The one thing he didn’t show was any knee problems. Those were revealed later, when he noticed some discomfort. The following MRI prefigured a surgery, which then ended his season in August.
If McCarthy, indeed, skips games two and three, the other quarterbacks on the roster would get plenty of reps to showcase their talent. Giving Sam Howell a good dose of preseason football isn’t the worst idea, after barely playing football since 2023 and having to learn a new offense. Depth players Brett Rypien and Max Brosmer also want to put some tape out there, and potentially even challenge Howell.
The young passer has to shoulder the hopes of an entire fan base that has been waiting for anyone to take them back to the Super Bowl for nearly five decades. He got the job done at Michigan; it remains to be seen if he can do it in the NFL.
There’s a good chance Skol Nation gets to see its 22-year-old new captain in action on August 9.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
