One of the main storylines in the NFC for the 2025 season will be how J.J. McCarthy performs in his first year as the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback. McCarthy was set to lead the team in 2024, before a preseason meniscus injury kept him out for his entire rookie year.
The Vikings were one of the top teams in the NFC last year, led by a breakout season from quarterback Sam Darnold. However, the team let Darnold leave in free agency, with the idea of having McCarthy take complete control of the team.
That plan could work well, but it is incredibly risky. Many evaluators have shared their thoughts on it, including former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck recently said that McCarthy’s mental strength will be crucial to both the Vikings’ long-term success and his development.
Matt Hasselbeck Discusses J.J. McCarthy’s Vikings Leadership
Selected 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy has been considered the Vikings’ quarterback of the future for more than a year. This September, he will finally get the chance to prove himself in Minnesota, where expectations are high.
Darnold stepped in for McCarthy last year and resurrected his career. He threw 35 touchdown passes and led the team to a 14-3 record. That record matched the Philadelphia Eagles for the third-best in the NFL, firmly placing the Vikings in the Super Bowl conversation.
McCarthy’s job will be to sustain those hopes when he steps in under center. There have been concerns about the young quarterback’s limited passing volume in college, but Hasselbeck believes his mentality will be the biggest factor in the NFL.
“He physically is capable. … What this comes down to is how does he lead through adversity?”@tthasselbeck weighs in on what he thinks of JJ McCarthy as QB1 of the Vikings 🤔 pic.twitter.com/mzOHGH9A7b
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 17, 2025
“I’ll preface this by saying, I was of the camp and the belief that I would have kept Sam Darnold,” Hasselbeck said on ESPN’s NFL Live. “But (McCarthy), physically, is capable. There are plenty of quarterbacks who talk about his ability as a thrower. I think, really, what this comes down to is, how does he lead through adversity?”
“Because it’s going to happen to all young quarterbacks. So now you’re coming off the heels of a guy [Sam Darnold] who threw 35 touchdown passes a year ago. When you have three interceptions against the [Chicago] Bears, and it costs you a game, how do you handle it? How do you respond to it?” Hasselbeck added. “I think that’s gonna tell the story on J.J. McCarthy, and I think he’s made of the right stuff.”
McCarthy attempted 332 passes in his final year in college at Michigan. In comparison, the first overall pick in the 2025 draft, Cam Ward, attempted 454 passes for Miami last year. Michigan’s run-heavy scheme under Jim Harbaugh helped the team to a national title, but limited McCarthy’s influence on the team.
JJ McCarthy threw one of the GREATEST touchdowns of ALL TIME in Vikings OTAs đź‘€
The comparisons he’s received are “A young Josh Allen, and a More Athletic Joe Burrow” 🤯
The NFL is in serious DANGER ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/seiIdINsgy
— Cam (@42Cyc) June 5, 2025
Regardless, McCarthy demonstrated the poise and accuracy necessary to be an NFL quarterback, and he benefits from having one of the best offensive minds in the game as his head coach, Kevin O’Connell.
The Vikings have a host of weapons on offense and will only need McCarthy to manage games efficiently, something he has proven more than capable of in the past.
