J.J. McCarthy admitted on Wednesday that he's still learning how to play quarterback the way the Vikings teach it, which is different than the way he learned it prior to entering the NFL.
It's been 19 months since the former Michigan standout was drafted tenth overall by Minnesota, but a couple different signficant injuries have robbed him of all kinds of physical reps to aid his development. That lack of experience has shown up the results for McCarthy, who has been plagued by inconsistent mechanics and poor accuracy in an ugly five-game start to his career.
"It's very new," he said. "Coming in here, I was taught how to play quarterback in a very different way. And that's expected going into the league, going into any new team, any new system. But at the end of the day, it was really just the injuries that I felt like took away all those reps to make those a habit and make them concrete, like (Kevin O'Connell) always talks about."
O'Connell mentioned earlier this week that the Vikings are hoping to see the concrete start to dry on some of the things they've been working on with McCarthy in terms of his mechanics and fundamentals. Because of last year's knee injury and this year's ankle injury, McCarthy is trying to make up for lost time in his development. He's doing things like taking dropback reps when he takes his dogs outside at home, because he's still trying to get rid of old habits and master new ones.
J.J. McCarthy
Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
"It's really hard," he said. "You're rewiring neurological pathways, and that's not something that happens overnight. Just understanding and giving myself that grace, that patience, that I might not have it today, but it's something that I'm gonna continue to strive after, day after day, rep after rep, and get to the place where we all want me to be. Anything new, like tying your shoe, takes time. Especially playing at the level of the National Football League."
There's a lot on McCarthy's plate right now as a young quarterback. He's trying to nail down the fundamental mechanics of playing QB for the Vikings on the fly, while also focusing on the protection plan and the install and the defense he's facing in a given week.
"These defenses are not simple," he said. "There's a lot of protection plan that takes up a lot of brain space. Obviously, the new concepts going in week after week, the coverages. And those little things about your fundamentals slip sometimes. So I feel like the more preparation I can do throughout the week, to make sure those things are to a T, gives me more brain space to work on the consistency of those little things."
It hasn't been pretty so far. McCarthy has shown flashes and managed to lead the Vikings to a couple road wins over division rivals, but he's been brutal in three home losses and has very poor numbers overall. He's completed just under 53 percent of his passes in five games, with eight total touchdowns, nine turnovers, and a 61.7 passer rating. Basically every QB metric available ranks him near the bottom of the league. He knows he needs to be better.
But his confidence hasn't seemed to waver. McCarthy believes he's closer to figuring it out than the numbers and the tape might suggest.
"For me, I kind of make the analogy of a cork about to come off a bottle," he said. "Understanding that it's one to three little things that I need to change about my game that is gonna make a huge difference in the outcome of every single drive in the game. I feel like it's really close, but it all comes down to consistency of the fundamentals and the little details."
What are those one to three little things?
"I would say just my posture," McCarthy said. "The way that I'm processing the defense, in terms of, I know what I'm getting, but let the rhythm of the play play out. Don't be getting to that answer too quick, because it's a timing in rhythm of the concepts and the defenses. And just decision-making. Understanding the situation of the game, not just the concept that I'm trying to execute. Like, for instance, that first pick last game, it's four minutes going into half, we're on our own side of the territory, and just understand what that risk factor should be and go from there."
These are all things that McCarthy believes will come with time, but he also knows that with just seven games left in this season, there has to be a major sense of urgency about seeing improvement occur. If the Vikings are going to stay alive in the playoff hunt, they'll need the metaphorical cork to come off the bottle for McCarthy this weekend at Lambeau Field.
J.J. McCarthy believes he’s close to putting some things together, comparing it to a cork that’s about to pop.
“I feel like it’s really close, but it all comes down to fundamentals and the little details.” pic.twitter.com/j9UpFFVJ9y
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 19, 2025