We’ve officially reached the point of the offseason where it would be impossible to explain to someone like my wife what the differences between the various practice phases mean.
My wife loves watching football during the season and will even humor me when I rant endlessly about free agency or the draft. She easily understands the concept of training camp. But rookie minicamp? Mandatory minicamp? Organized team activities? If I attempted to explain to her what each of those meant and why she should care, she’d roll her eyes and do something productive with her life.
If I were a healthy adult, I might join her. But I’m a sicko who finally got to watch video evidence of J.J. McCarthy throwing a football on the practice field. Starving men shouldn’t complain when even the tiniest morsel comes their way.
JJ McCarthy made the best play of any team's OTAs with this RIDICULOUS Touchdown 👀
He has already piled up over 12 OTA Touchdowns, the most in the NFL 🔥
The Vikings may have the next Patrick Mahomes 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZcZECLzggZ
— Cam (@42Cyc) May 29, 2025
As the Vikings kick off OTAs, it’s essential to realize that these are practices specifically designed to slowly ramp up to the true test of training camp. On Wednesday, Kevin O’Connell talked about how this was a time to take things slow, make mistakes, and learn from them to improve. For many veterans, OTAs may feel unnecessary.
Most NFL players are working to stay in shape year-round, so the ramp-up period is not nearly as steep or necessary as in decades past. It’s not uncommon for players to decline OTAs in favor of their own workout routine, trips to Egypt, or handing out baggies of mysterious pink powder to supermodels on your boat. It shouldn’t set off alarm bells if a player declines to attend OTAs.
However, it’s a very good sign that, according to O’Connell, the Vikings kicked off OTAs this week with a remarkable 100% attendance rate. He raved about what it meant to have the “totality” of his team present as they attacked the offseason program. It’s an impressive sign of a positive locker room culture and shows just how dialed in this team is, especially the veterans.
That’s particularly true on offense, where the team really made a statement by showing up for their new young quarterback.
O’Connell said McCarthy looked healthy and has done an “unbelievable job” attacking his rehab to be ready to hit the ground running this spring. That’s great news, because every rep could be crucial for him heading into his second season as a pro.
O’Connell discussed his goals for McCarthy, saying they must leave “no stone unturned.” That implies an approach where they comprehensively look at all facets of his development, especially as he transitions all his off-field development from this past year into live reps for the first time since the injury. They want to take nothing for granted and take their time to build McCarthy’s understanding of the offensive system from the ground up.
That means communication, chemistry, and peer mentorship will be essential cornerstones of McCarthy’s development this offseason.Having the whole team alongside him is invaluable, particularly his premier veterans like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and new center Ryan Kelly.
JJ McCarthy ➡️ Jordan Addison
🎥: @Vikings Instagram pic.twitter.com/RUrvPM0hnV
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) May 28, 2025
This may feel like an overreaction, and I understand we’re talking about a few practices in shorts, but this truly is a remarkable vote of confidence from the veterans on this team. It demonstrates that they’re as invested in McCarthy as the rest of this organization. After an offseason full of nonsense talking points by national media personalities trying to sow discontent into the marriage between McCarthy and the Vikings, it’s reassuring to see the veterans standing with their new quarterback.
O’Connell elaborated:
In seven-on-seven space you can really get a feel for if a guy is reading with his feet? Is he taking the right drop? Is his base and body in balance position to the throws in the sequence of his drop in the proper place? And did he make the throw, and was it accurate? Then you can coach backwards from the ending of the play. And then there’s all the other things. Did the other guys do their jobs?
And that’s why it’s so great to have the participation of Justin, Jordan, and T.J. We’ve got our group out there of guys who know what they’re doing so they can give him some real time feedback as well. ‘Hey, I know you came off me right there, but I’m gonna win at the top of this route regardless of the leverage.’ That’s something he’ll hear from No. 18 often.
Minnesota has begun this stage of the offseason program as a unified front, ready to work and invested in the future of themselves and their young quarterback. It just continues to be another green light in this offseason that has seemed almost singularly focused on creating the smoothest possible runway to success for J.J. McCarthy.
The Vikings have barely begun their 2025 voyage with their new signal caller at the helm, but they’re already showing a unified front.