Kevin O'Connell: J.J. McCarthy able to have full offseason to show he can be starter

The quarterback position was central to the conversation at the end of season press conferences that the Vikings held on Thursday.

Sam Darnold's future with the organization was one significant issue and 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy's return from the torn meniscus that kept him from playing as a rookie was another one. Decisions about re-signing or franchise-tagging Darnold will have to come before the team gets a chance to see McCarthy on the field and head coach Kevin O'Connell called it "way too early" to know just how things are going to look in Minnesota.

Even without going through practices, the team will have to have some kind of feeling about whether McCarthy will be ready for the fall and O'Connell was asked if he will feel comfortable going into the year with McCarthy as the starter.

"I’m very excited about where J.J.’s at. . . . He’s returned to on-field training, he’s returned to being able to be right where we hoped he would be at this point to have the type of offseason to answer that question," O'Connell said. "I think he maximized what this year was for him, I think he has a level of comfort in our offensive system."

Heading into Week 18, it seemed like there was little chance that the Vikings would let Darnold get away but his performance in back-to-back losses scrambled the picture for 2025. How the Vikings rearrange it will be one of the big storylines of the offseason.