Heading into the 2025 NFL season, one of the league’s biggest wild cards—team or player—might be found in the NFC. How this team performs could have major implications for the conference’s power structure, with a lot potentially resting on the shoulders of their young quarterback.
The franchise is coming off a transitional phase after parting ways with their previous starter. Now, they’ve turned the offense over to a de facto rookie at quarterback. The burning question for the 2025 season is simple: what will the Minnesota Vikings get from JJ McCarthy?
At just 22 years old, he was taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Vikings. However, a knee injury wiped out his rookie campaign before it even began, keeping him off the field all season. In his absence, Sam Darnold—once the backup—stepped in and unexpectedly delivered the best football of his career.
Darnold led Minnesota to a 14-3 record and a playoff berth, but by the end of the season, it was clear he wasn’t the long-term solution. The Vikings responded by bolstering both their offensive and defensive lines during the offseason and added some talent to their running back group as well.
Now, the spotlight turns to McCarthy as he prepares to start his first NFL games. If he performs anything like Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix did in their rookie years, the Vikings could quickly become a serious Super Bowl threat. But if he experiences the typical ups and downs of a first-year starter, Minnesota might find themselves clinging to a lower Wild Card spot—or possibly falling out of the playoff picture altogether.
The truth is, no one really knows what to expect from JJ McCarthy in 2025—but there’s no doubt he could end up being one of the most impactful players in the entire NFC this season.