Here are more takeaways from Day 17 of training camp: There wasn’t much to write home about when analyzing McCarthy’s progress as most of the practice was conducted at a walkthrough pace. He went through his progressions mostly at half speed with head coach Kevin O’Connell looking on.

Michigan had a top running back (Blake Corum – 258/1,245/27 with 16 catches for 117 yards and one touchdown). McCarthy completed 50 passes to running backs in 2023 (19.2% of the team’s completions). His top wideout (Roman Wilson) caught 48 passes for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Vikings drafted McCarthy 10th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

J.J. McCarthy made a solid return for the Vikings, completing 4 of 7 passes for 30 yards in a preseason win over the Houston Texans.

It will be an entertaining 2025 season to monitor for the Minnesota Vikings. With a new starting quarterback in J.J. McCarthy to lead the Vikings offense, head coach Kevin O'Connell will look to continue their success throwing the football.

The Vikings are moving forward with former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy at quarterback but the team has yet to choose its QB2.

The Minnesota Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, fresh off a national championship at Michigan. Now, entering what is technically his second season—and with Darnold now in Seattle with the Seahawks—McCarthy has been handed the keys to the offense.