Recently retired wide receiver Adam Thielen crossed paths with Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy in 2025 — and he liked what he saw. The 35-year-old hopped on a podcast this week and wasn’t afraid to sing McCarthy’s praises.

Thielen’s perspective added context to McCarthy’s outlook and long-term standing in Minnesota’s quarterback room.

It’s been a rough offseason for McCarthy, but Thielen thinks there’s something there for the long haul.

Minnesota May Still Have a Development Window for McCarthy

Real recognize real?

Thielen on McCarthy

Ross Tucker welcomed Thielen onto his show this week, bringing up the McCarthy topic. Thielen opined, “I just love his mindset. You’re around him for a couple of days, and you can feel it. I was able to work with him as a rookie during the offseason when he spent time in Minnesota, and we got the chance to throw and work together a bit. Then, playing with him, you realize he’s just one of those guys.”

“When you’re around him, you can tell he’s a winner. He understands that competitive edge, that chip on his shoulder, and he carries it with him. He’ll be the first to admit there are areas where he needs to improve. He’s a young player, and it’s not hard to understand the challenges he’s faced.”

McCarthy ranked 29th of 31 qualifying quarterbacks last season per adjusted EPA/Play.

Thielen added, “Being drafted high comes with big expectations, and then getting injured in your first year makes it even tougher. When you’re on injured reserve, you’re not around the team in the same way.”

“You’re not practicing, and you’re not getting reps on the field. That’s a lot of missed development time, so he’s had quite a few things working against him.”

The Terrible Offseason for McCarthy

McCarthy’s offseason, sadly for his sake, has been miserable. The guy who drafted him, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, was fired on January 30th. If the Vikings want an exit strategy involving McCarthy, they have it. Through their actions, they’ve already terminated the man who bet everything on McCarthy.

Six weeks later, the replacement front office signed Kyler Murray, who is now in line to start for Minnesota in 2026. Soon after, Minnesota also added Carson Wentz to the quarterback room, with some suggesting that McCarthy will have to compete for the backup quarterback job.

McCarthy went from the uncontested starter last year at this time to a dude with two former starters in the same room.

Plenty of Time to Mature

Thankfully, McCarthy has age on his side. He turned 23 in January. His full story isn’t written; have a look at Sam Darnold’s recent success if you need evidence.

There’s no need to rush to judgment on McCarthy; the timeline still favors Minnesota. The valuable fifth-year option for 1st-Round quarterbacks means that if McCarthy finds his rhythm by 2028, the Vikings can exercise it without hesitation.

This flexibility complements the Murray arrangement perfectly, giving Minnesota both a different quarterback and a safety net while McCarthy develops. As long as McCarthy sticks to the plan, the team can support him over the next few seasons, so long as he has the patience.

A trade would only become a consideration if McCarthy requests one, which seems improbable given his history. He appears to recognize that injuries hampered his progress and that his initial opportunities to start were inconsistent.

McCarthy has also put in the work this offseason. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted earlier this month, “To the extent that anyone wondered how McCarthy would react to Murray’s arrival, his actions have spoken volumes.”

“McCarthy concluded his offseason training in California, where he had been working with former NFL quarterback John Beck, and resumed work at the Vikings’ facility. NFL offseason rules prohibit McCarthy from working with Vikings coaches on the field, but he has been in the team’s weight room regularly.”

2026 Outlook

Meanwhile, McCarthy enters the season with significant motivation. The QB1 role is theoretically within reach, and reclaiming it might not require a monumental effort. While durability has been McCarthy’s primary concern through two seasons — he’s missed approximately 70% of possible NFL games due to injuries — Murray also brings his own durability concerns.

Murray has missed roughly 26% of his career games and typically starts around 12 games per season, a factor that looms large in the quarterback room dynamic.

Consequently, should Murray continue this pattern, McCarthy could be one snap away from regaining the starting position, making his preparation and readiness paramount.

There’s a legitimate reason for optimism surrounding McCarthy. He showed considerable potential in 2025, especially in late-game situations, and after Week 14, credible metrics, like EPA+CPOE, ranked him as the NFL’s sixth-best quarterback. For example, Murray could get hurt, McCarthy could enter the game, and if he’s good enough, McCarthy could hang onto the QB1 job henceforth.

Thielen would have been right all along if so.