Told to be himself, J.J. McCarthy defied Kevin O’Connell with Griddy TD

McCarthy says defying his coach felt right in the moment, even if it earned him a minus.

Dec 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) runs for a touchdown during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

When J.J. McCarthy strutted into the end zone doing the "Griddy" on Sunday night, he did so in direct defiance of head coach Kevin O'Connell's orders.

"I did it in practice, and I was told not to do it, so just me being who I am, it's like, 'Oh, now I'm more enticed to do it,'" McCarthy said after leading the Vikings to a 34-26 win over the Cowboys. "But if it's that open, obviously, just get in the end zone no matter what, and be coachable and do what my coach says, so I'll definitely get a minus for that one."

O'Connell was asked about McCarthy's touchdown strut, and although the coach smiled during his answer, he clearly wasn't a fan of the 22-year-old's decision.

"I would say the finish, I would not classify as special. It was entertaining. I guess we are in the entertainment business, but I would've preferred him to show that 40-time that he likes to talk about, having never run a 40 coming out (of the draft)," O'Connell said.

It's hard to blame O'Connell for not getting a kick out of McCarthy's moment. For the fans, it was electric. But the Vikings were just hours removed from being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, and McCarthy has been wildly inconsistent through eight career starts.

Then again, just five days earlier, O'Connell basically told McCarthy to stop with his "Nine" alter ego and just be himself.

"All I've asked J.J. to do is just be authentically himself," O'Connell said last Tuesday. "I think at times, guys try to — and maybe it is the moment, and if it's authentic in the moment, fire away, have at it — but we don't need to exhaust any energy. Our jobs are hard enough already. Trying to be somebody else, or trying to play to some sort of persona, whatever it may be, let's just go back to work, man. Let's just go back to work and try to get better every single day."

In the end, McCarthy enjoyed being himself when he Griddy'd into the end zone, though he has some regret about defying his coach's orders. Is he okay with the result?

"Yes and no," he said with a smirk.