J.J. McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, is set to make his long-awaited NFL debut in the upcoming season after missing the entire 2024 campaign due to torn meniscus in his right knee. The Michigan product has been projected to be the starter for the Minnesota Vikings in 2025.
Well, almost everyone has him penciled in as QB1. One former NFL player has revealed some interesting insights about Minnesota’s plans at the quarterback position, casting doubt on the McCarthy hype train.
Former NFL Star Shares Hot Take on J.J. McCarthy’s Debut Season
McCarthy was likely to take the Vikings’ QB1 spot after getting drafted in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft. However, he suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. The injury sidelined him for the entire 2024 season, and he will finally get to play his first regular season NFL game this year.
During the Monday episode of the “Purple Daily,” former NFL offensive guard Ross Tucker shared his take on McCarthy’s debut season and how the Vikings handled their rookie quarterback’s absence.
Tucker named the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers as the strongest teams in the NFC North, predicting 11+ wins for both franchises while hyping up the Chicago Bears as a dark-horse team to watch. According to Tucker, the Bears and Vikings will battle it out for the third spot in the division.
Then, the player-turned-analyst revealed his expectations for McCarthy.
“J.J. McCarthy, this will essentially be his rookie season,” Tucker said. “It was against the Raiders he played in the preseason last year, and he looked awesome. I was like holy cow, they got one, he looks amazing. But it’s not just his rookie year. He missed so much practice time. It would be unusual if he didn’t have some serious growing pains.”
Tucker also pointed out that the Vikings were keen on keeping other quarterbacks on their roster after McCarthy’s injury.
“No matter what the Vikings say about J.J. McCarthy and how much they love him and he’s the guy, they wanted Darnold back, and when they weren’t going to get Darnold back, they wanted Daniel Jones,” Tucker said. “They were offering these guys pretty darn good money. So, as much as they are sold on J.J. McCarthy, they weren’t that sold.
“They were offering these guys over $10 million bucks a year to come and be their quarterback for this year or at least give them that option. So, they have some doubt about McCarthy and how ready he’ll be, especially early.”
The Vikings’ postseason run ended quite early, as the Rams handed them a 27-9 defeat in the Wild Card round. Justin Jefferson is likely to be McCarthy’s primary weapon this season, and Minnesota would hope to see the duo take them to glory.
Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason will add more options for McCarthy from the running back slot. Ryan Kelly, Will Fries and first-round pick Donovan Jackson will have the job of protecting McCarthy (and his surgically repaired knee) on the offensive line.