McCarthy, the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, was battling with Darnold to be the starter in Minnesota summer before a torn meniscus suffered in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders ended his rookie year prematurely.

The good news for McCarthy is he won’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders; he’ll have head coach Kevin O’Connell — a former NFL quarterback — helping him navigate everything, as well as teammates on both sides of the ball that are going to make it easier on him.

While everyone else in the NFL 's record crop of first-round quarterbacks in the draft last year launched their careers on the field, J.J. McCarthy was forced to begin his with film study and in the training room for the Minnesota Vikings.