Every season is filled with players who come out of nowhere to have stellar seasons and become “breakout” stars. This season, one of those players was none other than Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold came from draft bust and relegated backup to having a career season and leading the Vikings to the playoffs.
Every year, the NFL is littered with stories like Darnold’s, and next season is likely to be no exception. There are a number of great candidates for “breakout” performer for next season, and the team at PFF have their eyes on one player in particular for the Vikings.
It should come as no surprise that that player is none other than quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The former first-round pick didn’t see any action in his rookie season thanks to a pre-season knee injury, but he’s likely to be the team’s starter in 2025, unless they decide to bring Darnold back for another run — which seems unlikely after the collapse he had to end the season.
All the parts are in place for McCarthy to succeed in much the same fashion that Darnold did this season. Minnesota still has star wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the fold. They still have an All-Pro caliber tight end in T.J. Hockenson, who will be well removed from his knee injury by the start of 2025.
Perhaps most importantly, McCarthy still has head coach Kevin O’Connell, who recently signed an extension with the team and took home Coach of the Year honors. O’Connell has gained a reputation for being a quarterback-friendly coach, so it’s no surprise that people are expecting big things from the former Wolverines quarterback when he does finally make it to the field.