Story by
Vikings QB JJ McCarthy is Playing Golf, Looking Good and Giving Out Health Updates
- Story by
- Vikings QB JJ McCarthy is Playing Golf, Looking Good and Giving Out Health Updates
Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
Night one of the 2025 NFL Draft is officially less than one month away (April 24). Even prior to draft weekend, though, the Minnesota Vikings will hold their first practices of the offseason, which are scheduled on the league calendar for April 21.
That will be the first time 2024 No. 10 overall pick , JJ McCarthy, will get together with Vikings teammates as their assumed quarterback for 2025 and beyond. And all eyes will be on him, because the organization has made it clear that they want to win games immediately, whether that's with McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers , [insert your favorite QB rumor here] or someone else.
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
The process to finding out whether or not JJ is the best guy for the job will ramp up during those initial offseason practices. Remember, this isn't just a young, unproven talent. It's a young unproven talent coming off a meniscus injury that kept him from basic football activities for 6 months.
Advertisement
The last time Minnesota Vikings fans saw JJ McCarthy…
And let's be real, the last time we saw JJ McCarthy, he didn't look like an NFL franchise QB standing on the sidelines of the Minnesota Vikings final game of the 2024-25 regular season . Instead, he looked like a teenage kid who hasn't eaten breakfast since elementary school.
Photos and videos started circulating through social media with captions and conversations surrounding how skinny the former 6'3″, 220 lb quarterback looked in those purple athletic shorts and gray Vikings mesh t-shirt. Internet panic was antagonized by insider reports that he had dropped over 20 pounds during his recovery.
"Listed at 219 pounds at the start of training camp, [J.J.] McCarthy dropped more than 20 pounds this fall", per @SeifertESPN .
Seifert continued saying "McCarthy has plenty of time to regain the weight before OTA practices this spring".
pic.twitter.com/T51YTHdnL9— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) January 25, 2025
Obviously, it's difficult to workout when your knee can't function. Plus, McCarthy was likely on a diet, in order to lighten the load on his knee, while it recovered from surgery. Nonetheless, the visuals were jarring, even for the most understanding onlookers.
Advertisement
Related: Vikings Extremely Confident in New Starting Safety
Fortunately, reports began to surface since the Minnesota Vikings' season ended that JJ McCarthy has been looking and feeling much better, of late. Going back nearly a month now, and as recent as last week , reports have been surfacing that JJ is back over 200 pounds and feeling near 100% .
JJ McCarthy playing golf and feeling good
But on Tuesday, we got our first shot to see JJ McCarthy ourselves when he appeared on the Up and Adams Show, which was live from the annual NFLPA Classic Golf Tournament he is PLAYING in at the El Camaleon Golf Course in Mayakoba, MX.
Advertisement
That's right, JJ McCarthy is playing golf on his knee, which proves how healthy that knee is feeling. He certainly looks more filled out, too. When asked how he is feeling, the 22-year-old confirmed he is feeling 100% healthy, prior to early offseason MN Vikings workouts next month.
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy says he is 100%! @heykayadams | @jjmccarthy09 pic.twitter.com/d0JTUVNkRf
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 25, 2025
Adams : "I was trying to translate what it means that you're here. The knee must be doing pretty well, huh?"
McCarthy : "Fantastic."
Adams : "Tell me more."
McCarthy : "I mean, I would say that I'm 100%. [I'm] staying consistent with the rehab process and not waivergin from that and just staying disciplined with all the outside stuff and making sure I'm not chopping too much wood, and doing all that fun stuff."
It's good to hear that JJ McCarthy is feeling 100%. But much more important to me, is the fact that he is playing golf. No, it isn't a contact sport (at least not since Billy Madison), but the turning, weight shifting and twisting required during golf would not be allowed by doctors if he wasn't fully recovered from his injury.
Especially since the tournament he is playing in is being televised live on Golf Network. That's right, Minnesota Vikings fans… you can watch JJ McCarthy play golf today.
More must-reads:
Advertisement
