With the meat of free agency in the rearview, along with the NFL Draft, rookie minicamp and schedule reveal, more and more eyes and ears are falling on the presumptive 2025 Vikings starting quarterback.
Is J.J. McCarthy ready for the role? Or better yet, what lies ahead in the realm of his potential?
NFL Media's Bucky Brooks dove deep into Minnesota's young signal-caller last Friday evening, judging that after a 14-win campaign in 2024, and a deeper roster now, the Vikings pose to be title contenders.
Brooks elaborated on the subject:
With a pair of schematic wizards in [Head Coach/offensive play-caller] Kevin O'Connell and [Defensive Coordinator] Brian Flores pencil-whipping opponents with deft play designs, the Vikings should be considered among the top candidates to supplant the defending champion Eagles as NFC representatives in Super Bowl LX – IF J.J. McCarthy can hit the ground running as the team's new QB1.
That latter piece is what Brooks has deemed could be the NFL's biggest wild card in 2025.
In his assessment, Brooks noted that Minnesota ranked ninth in points per game (25.4) and sixth in passing (237.8 yards per game) in 2024. He declared if the 22-year-old McCarthy manages to take the baton and run with it, the Vikings "could seriously contend for their first Lombardi Trophy."
Of course, a step up to centerstage, on the heels of a rookie season that was interrupted entirely by a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered in his exhibition debut, isn't as easy as accepting responsibility.
Brooks acknowledged the possibility that McCarthy may struggle against a challenging schedule – Minnesota was recently deduced as having the sixth-toughest slate or tied for fifth-toughest based on the metrics – and an über-competitive division.
Brooks, however, is almost bullish; not only in McCarthy's ability to expand O'Connell's playbook due to his mobility and plus arm talent, but also in the reigning NFL Coach of the Year's knack for adjusting to different quarterbacks and raising their level of performance. Brooks added that McCarthy's "poise, composure and management skills should make it easy for O'Connell to build a game plan that enables him to create big plays while mitigating risky turnovers, especially given the team's surrounding talent."
The ending phrase there is as key as anything to the circumstances in question.
Brooks ascertained that Minnesota's perimeter weapons – namely Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison (Jalen Nailor is in the mix, too, and 2025 third-rounder Tai Felton is in line for some work) – make the game easy for their quarterback. He also highlighted a super productive tight end in T.J. Hockenson, and imagined re-upped RB Aaron Jones, Sr., and free-agent addition Jordan Mason, who was acquired via a trade, toting the rock in tandem.
Brooks advised McCarthy should operate like "a pass-first point guard directing an intricate half-court offense" in order to thrive in the ways that many envisioned he could during the 2024 pre-draft process.
Brooks continued, remembering the 2024 10th overall selection's strong track record:
McCarthy has already demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice individual stats for team success as a collegian (SEE: 27-1 record at Michigan with a national title), and that certainly made him an attractive prospect for evaluators who value "winners" at the position.
In summary, Brooks said the play of McCarthy will determine whether Minnesota reaches its ceiling and seriously competes for a ring, but he is extremely fond of the environment surrounding the young QB.
"Consequently," stated Brooks, "I believe this wild card will come up aces."
Check out Brooks' notebook-styled story on McCarthy here.
All-PFF Quarter-Century Team
Also on Friday of last week, Pro Football Focus unveiled its all-time NFL lineup dating to 2000.
Importantly, PFF didn't begin grading every play of every player in every game until 2006, so there's some gaps in the metrics, but the analytics site used its database's full power to identify the best players.
The exercise includes a slew of Gold Jackets on defense, such as linebackers Patrick Willis and Ray Lewis, and safeties Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed. It also, predictably, features seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, generational defenders in J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald, and other over-achievers.
Oh, and it has a Minnesota Vikings Legend, as well.
Antoine Winfield, Sr., was tagged with a 94.5 career PFF grade, and accompanied Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis (94.4) and Richard Sherman (94.8) in PFF's evaluation of the league's cornerbacks over the past 25 years.
PFF analyst Jonathon Macri wrote the following of Winfield, who launched his career in 1999 with the Bills:
He was among the 10 highest-graded players for his position in five out of seven years [in the PFF era], and the top-graded player at his position three times between 2006 and when he retired in 2012. While Winfield owns a top-10 PFF coverage grade all time (92.3), where he's unique on this list of CBs is he also owns the best PFF run-defense grade (94.7) out of 355 qualifiers at the position since 2006. Winfield's 107 run defense stops are tied for the second most of all time among cornerbacks, while his 2.47-yard average depth of tackle against the run ranks as the best mark among 137 qualifiers since 2006.
A first-round draft pick by Buffalo via Ohio State, Winfield first donned the Purple and Gold in 2004. He further established himself as one of the league's savviest corners against the run and pass during his nine seasons in Minnesota. At age 31, Winfield was elected to his first career Pro Bowl and was tabbed as a Second-Team All-Pro. He made the Pro Bowl, again, in 2009 and 2010, and concluded his terrific career in 2012 by amassing his second-most tackles in a season (101) and second-most interceptions (3) and passes defended (13). Overall, Winfield accumulated 1,094 tackles (935 solo) and 27 interceptions.
Winfield edged out another NFL icon, Champ Bailey, in PFF's quarter-century cornerbacks room.
Take a gander at the exhaustive squad formulated by PFF here.
