Vikings GM on J.J. McCarthy: 'We're going to go forward with that'

McCarthy has impressed Vikings leaders every step of the way. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made it very clear Wednesday that McCarthy is the guy.

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah came as close as he possibly could — without actually saying the words — to guaranteeing J.J. McCarthy will be the starting quarterback in 2025.

Speaking to Tom Pelissero on NFL Network from the annual league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Adofo-Mensah was asked to give fans where the Vikings "actually stand" with the quarterback plan for 2025. His answer was absent of speculation and 100% focused on McCarthy.

"We're excited about J.J. McCarthy. Somebody that we identified in the draft process last year, is somebody not just from an arm talent, athleticism, processing standpoint, but just the work ethic. We talk a lot about leadership and having your quarterback embody what your culture is. He's somebody from a positive attitude, the way he cares about his teammates, all those different things, that we want to be our starting quarterback for a long time," Adofo-Mensh said.

"I want to chase this thing with [head coach Kevin O'Connell], him, myself, the alignment we have together. So we're excited about him and what he's brought. Obviously he had the injury and a setback, but we're excited about everything he's done from that point. We're going to go forward with that. We're going to look to obviously always add depth to that room, to upgrade it. But we set out to build a team that's very quarterback friendly to a young player. From a running game, defensive standpoint, a lot of the moves we made in free agency was with that in mind, and we're excited about that going forward."

McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in 2024, missed his rookie season with a meniscus injury that required surgery in August and then a biologic injection in November. Adofo-Mensah said he learned a lot about McCarthy when he was on the shelf.

"He looks great right now," Adofo-Mensah said. "He approached everything with a can-do and unbelievable mentality to approach every task to be the best version of himself. Again, that's why he's somebody we want to embody our leadership and our culture.

"He's been in a great spot. Every checkpoint, as I said the other day, he's exceeded every throwing session, every workout. The kid is so detail- and process-oriented and we had him do projects when he was injured.

"I had him do some personnel projects. Just talking with some of my other GM friends and just, 'Hey, what did you do with great player when they had time off?' I had him do a personnel project and the level of detail that this guy does — I didn't really give him much ground — and he did an amazing job. That's the type of person we're dealing with, the type of wiring we're dealing with. So we're excited about what he's going to bring."

"He's been in a great spot. Every checkpoint he's exceeded."@Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks with @tompelissero about J.J. McCarthy's recovery and the excitement to get him back on the field in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/wM7PWPtKRi

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 3, 2025

It's McCarthy's world and Aaron Rodgers clearly isn't of interest to the Vikings at this point in the process. But as Dianna Russini keeps saying, things could change and as long as Rodgers is out there, anything is possible. Highly unlikely, but possible.