The Minnesota Vikings are about to begin a new era today.
J.J. McCarthy will finally take the reins of the offense and show what he can do in an actual NFL game.
With that in mind, PFF reached out to the legendary Tom Brady to gather his thoughts on the fellow Michigan product.
Brady didn’t seem to want to go too high or too low, but he believes there are more than enough reasons to feel excited about him:
“There’s a lot of reason to like the poise and composure, and certainly the physical abilities. He’s a really good passer of the football. He’s got enough mobility to extend plays. He’s a very grounded kid. Got drafted high to Minnesota, and now he’s got a chance to go prove himself, and it really doesn’t matter what Tom Brady thinks. It matters what J.J. thinks, and what his teammates think of him. I’m sure every game’s not going to be three touchdowns, no interceptions. There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs,” Brady said.
Tom Brady gives his thoughts on JJ McCarthy 👀 pic.twitter.com/B07iIou5i6
— PFF (@PFF) September 7, 2025
McCarthy was a bit of a question mark and a polarizing prospect when he first entered the league.
The tape suggested that he had some major intangibles, taking over and delivering every single time he needed to.
Then again, he didn’t have that much experience, and he played in Michigan’s run-heavy offense, so there were times when they didn’t seem to need him at all.
Of course, missing his entire rookie season with a knee injury didn’t do much to help his case, and people still don’t know what to expect from him.
One thing is for sure, though, just like Brady said, there will be some speed bumps along the way; it’s almost inevitable for rookie quarterbacks.
The Vikings chose to move on from Sam Darnold after he had the best season of his career, and that speaks volumes about their level of confidence in their former first-round pick.
Conversely, it will also put him under a lot of pressure to perform and prove that he’s got what it takes to lead this team to success.
NEXT: Justin Jefferson Raves About J.J. McCarthy