After a lost rookie season, J.J. McCarthy finally gets his shot this weekend

Tom Gorski

After a lost rookie season, J.J. McCarthy finally gets his shot this weekend image

JJ McCarthy’s NFL career got off to a rough start when a knee injury in his first preseason game ended his rookie season before it ever really began. Now healthy, the Vikings’ young quarterback is ready to get back on track — and this time, Minnesota isn’t holding him back.

There had been some speculation that the team might keep McCarthy on the shelf until Week 1 in Chicago, but head coach Kevin O’Connell shut that down on Monday. The plan is for the rookie to play this Saturday when the Vikings host the Houston Texans.

“We’ve got that plan in place,” O’Connell said. “I haven’t talked to him about it yet — we’re taking things day by day — but I’ll let him know first. The plan is for JJ to play on Saturday.”

O’Connell didn’t say whether McCarthy would play in the second or third preseason games, but for now, the focus is simply getting him back on the field. Saturday will mark his first live game action in nearly a year — his last appearance came in that preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, where he suffered a torn meniscus.

It’s still unclear how many snaps he’ll get — maybe a full series, maybe just a few plays — but either way, it’s a meaningful step forward.

The Vikings have taken a patient approach with McCarthy throughout training camp, easing him into reps and allowing him time to adjust. But Saturday will be his first real opportunity to show what he can do in live action. 

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It’s a valuable step — not just to shake off the rust, but to start getting comfortable running the offense at full speed.

For McCarthy, it’s less about the stat line and more about command — how he handles the huddle, how he connects with receivers, and how quickly he processes the game. For Minnesota, it’s the beginning of a larger evaluation: a first look at whether their potential quarterback of the future is ready to start taking ownership of the offense.

Tom Gorski

Tom Gorski is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is pursuing a master’s degree in sports media at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Tom earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Communications from DePaul University, where he spent two years reporting on the Big East for The DePaulia, the university’s award-winning student newspaper. His background in sports journalism includes positions with 247Sports, the Region Sports Network and Fans First Sports Network, where he covered high school, college and professional sports.