But at the start of the Vikings' 2025 season program on Monday, April 21, O'Connell made McCarthy's outlook abundantly clear. Offering an update on several players recovering from long-term injuries, O'Connell, unpromoted, cleared McCarthy to enter the offseason program.

As the Vikings begin their offseason program this week, they're now positioning 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to begin the season as their starting quarterback. McCarthy has said he's recovered from the knee injury that kept him sidelined for his entire rookie season.

And finally, they traded up in the draft for Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. But things didn't go 100% according to plan. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury during the preseason and in his absence,