Vikings QB whose rookie year was wiped out by a torn meniscus, now entering his real first NFL season.
J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus in the 2024 preseason and missed his entire rookie year. The 2025 sophomore season was the actual NFL debut and the results were mixed: 11 starts, two playoff appearances, an early injury that bumped him for veteran Daniel Jones. Year three under Kevin O'Connell is the real test.
Path to the league
Michigan quarterback who won the 2023 CFP National Championship and went 27-1 as a starter in his college career. Vikings took him 10th overall in 2024. Suffered a torn meniscus in his first preseason game and never appeared in a 2024 regular-season game.
Career highlights
2023 College Football Playoff National Champion (Michigan). 27-1 college record as a starter. Captain at Michigan three seasons. Highest career college winning percentage of any QB in the past 20 years (.964).
2025 season recap
Started Week 1 then missed three games with a high ankle sprain. Returned to lead Minnesota to a 9-8 record and a Wild Card berth. Final line: 2,840 passing yards, 19 TDs, 9 INTs across 11 games. Beat the Bears in primetime in Week 14 with a 4-TD performance. Looks more comfortable now that the Jefferson-Addison-Hockenson trio is healthy again.
Sources
- Wikipedia: J. J. McCarthy
- Pro Football Reference: J.J. McCarthy
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Passing
10 games played▶Passing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | RTG | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | vikings | 10 | 140 | 243 | 1,632 | 11 | 12 | 72.6 | 35.6 |
▶Rushing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | vikings | 10 | 37 | 181 | 4.9 | 4 | 26 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Quarterback
- Group
- offense
- College
- Michigan
- Hometown
- La Grange Park, IL, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
Latest news about J.J. McCarthy
All news →Correction: Vikings' J.J. McCarthy Has an Ankle Sprain, Not a Season-Ending Injury
An earlier version of this story reported that McCarthy had torn his meniscus and would miss the season. That was wrong. Coach Kevin O'Connell described the injury as a mild deltoid sprain in his ankle, and McCarthy has since returned to full practice.
J.J. McCarthy Gets 'Banged Up' in Vikings' Loss to Ravens
The quarterback played 18 snaps and absorbed three hits and a sack in Minnesota's 13-3 preseason defeat, downplaying the toll afterward.
Vikings Name Kyler Murray Starting Quarterback
Kevin O'Connell ended the camp-long competition on Tuesday, with J.J. McCarthy responding that Minnesota is 'the place I want to be' despite losing the job.
Kyler Murray Has Best Camp Day Yet as Vikings QB Battle Stays Fluid
Murray completed 6 of 7 passes and took 16 of 22 first-team reps in one session, including three deep completions to Justin Jefferson, but J.J. McCarthy actually out-snapped him a day earlier.
Vikings Hire Ex-Bears GM Ryan Pace as Football Adviser to Nolan Teasley
Minnesota adds a former NFC North rival's general manager to its reshaped front office, giving new GM Nolan Teasley a veteran sounding board.
Justin Jefferson stays neutral on Vikings QB battle: "It's more going to be a coach's call"
Minnesota's star receiver says he will throw with both Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy over the summer break, but the man catching the passes is not picking the man throwing them.
