Minnesota Vikings quarterback and former Michigan star JJ McCarthy is entering year two of his NFL career, and year one as the starting quarterback.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert shared recently that McCarthy should have some extra confidence because that is all that his head coach, Kevin O'Connell, has in him. There is not much more of a glowing endorsement of a player than that of which O'Connell gave his new signal caller this week.

It's safe to say there's a lot riding on J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. The Vikings won 14 games and flirted with the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed a year ago. Instead of paying big bucks to retain the quarterback who led that charge,

Yes, Vikings running back Aaron Jones compared J.J. McCarthy's football brain to Aaron Rodgers. That's an incredible compliment from a teammate, but one that comes with a bit more strength since Jones was Rodgers' teammate in Green Bay for six seasons.

The Minnesota Vikings took J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick of the NFL Draft last year, so you would think that Arch Manning — or any of the quarterbacks set to be featured in the 2026 draft class — would not be on their radar.

Here's where to watch every Minnesota Vikings game this season as McCarthy and company battle through adversity

J.J. McCarthy's secret weapon in 2025 may not be a guy who will be getting a ton of receptions in the passing game.

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy detailed the "freaky" trait that makes Justin Jefferson the best receiver in the NFL.