McCarthy Shows Love to Home Fans
The Minnesota Vikings went 14-3 last season, but it ended with a thud. After losing to the Detroit Lions in Week 18, the Vikings were bounced from the playoffs in the wild-card round by the Los Angeles Rams.
Despite winning 14 games, Minnesota is making a change at quarterback under fourth-year head coach Kevin O'Connell.
O'Connell has a 34-17 record in the regular season but is still searching for his first postseason win. He's turning to J.J. McCarthy in 2025 to replace Sam Darnold as the team's new starter.
The former Michigan Wolverines star missed all of last season with a fully torn meniscus in his right knee. After undergoing surgery, he became the first quarterback taken in the first round to miss his entire rookie season due to injury.
Now, with the 2025 NFL training camp underway, Minnesota is putting its full attention on McCarthy, who has a strong supporting cast around him.
McCarthy sat down with the NFL Network on Saturday and shared his thoughts on playing in Minnesota: "We got the best fanbase in the NFL, I guarantee that."
The Vikings averaged more than 66,000 fans per home game last season. U.S. Bank Stadium has a capacity of 66,200, expandable to 72,000 for special events. It's been the team's home since 2016.
McCarthy also expressed his excitement about seeing fans return for training camp:
"I'm so looking forward to seeing them here and hearing the SKOL chant," McCarthy said. "Just being able to interact with them individually and as a collective, they are just awesome. Nothing but gracious and supportive ever since I got here, and I can't wait to do great things for them this year."
The 22-year-old was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He led Michigan to a College Football Playoff title in January 2024 and was named Big Ten Quarterback of the Year that season.
McCarthy is listed ahead of Sam Howell and Brett Rypien on the depth chart. He'll have two proven weapons at receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison as well as talented tight end T.J. Hockenson.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fantasy Football Rankings 2025: Justin Boone's Top Defenses for drafts
Justin Boone won the FantasyPros Most Accurate Expert Award in 2019 and has eight top-10 finishes in the competition. He now brings his rankings acumen to the Yahoo Fantasy audience after recently joining the team as an analyst. He will consistently be refining his draft rankings during training camps, the preseason and leading up to the season. When news breaks, rankings updates will be reflected here, so bookmark this page and get ready for your drafts! And be sure to follow the links below to see his latest redraft rankings at every position. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] 2025 Fantasy Rankings (Half PPR) QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Top 300 Defenses 2025 Fantasy Rankings (Half PPR) QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Top 300
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Michigan State football loses recruiting staff member to Nevada
A familiar face in the recruiting department has departed Michigan State for a new position in the college football world. Austin D'Armond has left his role with Michigan State to become the Director of Player Personnel & Recruiting Strategy at Nevada. During his time at MSU, he held the role of Director of Player Personnel/Defense working on the Spartans recruiting efforts on the defensive side of the ball. Prior to joining Jonathan Smith and company in East Lansing, D'Armond was a member of Smith's staff in Corvallis at Oregon State for two seasons in a similar recruiting role. Getting an undergraduate and graduate degrees from Texas, D'Armond spent two years as a recruiting intern, and upon graduating, he became a player personnel graduate assistant for the Longhorns. Michigan State has already filled some of the void he left, adding Michael Morales from Texas to the staff, and there is an expectation that the Spartans could be making one or two more hires in it's recruiting department, that is led by Director of Recruiting and Player Relations, Michael Doctor. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Michigan State football loses member of recruiting staff
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea's Lesley Ugochukwu nearing Burnley move
Lesley Ugochukwu (21) looks set to complete a permanent move away from Chelsea, according to a report from . Ugochukwu completed a €27m move from formative club Stade Rennais to Chelsea back in the summer of 2023, however, the France youth international failed to establish himself at Stamford Bridge. As a result, he spent last season on loan at Southampton. During his time with the Saints, he made 31 appearances, however, he could not save the club from relegation back to the EFL Championship. He did not remain at Saint Mary's, instead returning to parent club Chelsea, with whom he has made a mere 15 appearances. However, his time at Stamford Bridge is seemingly coming to an end. The Athletic understands that Burnley have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign the Frenchman on a permanent deal. Ugochukwu will now travel to undergo a medical before signing a five-year contract. GFFN | Luke Entwistle
