The Minnesota Vikings are eager to see what they have in young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who missed all of what should’ve been his rookie season after suffering a knee injury in the preseason.
This year McCarthy is finally taking the field, and he’s already showing off tremendous leadership qualities. Last Saturday, his teammate Aaron Jones suffered a brutal hit, and McCarthy was the first to rush to his defense.
Now, the quarterback is letting it known that he’s a fighter, and that he doesn’t particularly care who he has to fight.
“No matter who it is, especially 33, I’m the first guy in the fight… (as a) former hockey player, used to be the enforcer out there, believe it or not,” McCarthy said in a media session.
#Vikings QB JJ McCarthy on being the first guy to defend Aaron Jones on Saturday after a hard hit:
“No matter who it is, especially 33, i’m the first guy in the fight… (as a) former hockey player, used to be the enforcer out there, believe it or not.”pic.twitter.com/nACwhWJIms
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 6, 2025
Fans reacte to the bold statement on social media.
“Too bad he will have to throw over 290 yards a game. Which he didn’t do much in college. And terrible when trailing in the 4th,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Big fan of this guy. love his spark and energy. even at michigan was a fan. hope he has a great career,” another person added.
“Dude is a dawg. Most scrutinized QB right now and can’t wait to silence the critics. There will be mistakes, but he is a grinder. Nice guy in interviews and F U mentality on the field,” one fan wrote.
It’ll be interesting to see how McCarthy does when he finally gets to take the field in the regular season.