Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had their season-ending press conferences on Wednesday. One noteworthy moment came when Adofo-Mensah was asked about J.J. McCarthy’s status following season-ending surgery on a meniscus tear he suffered in August. Will Ragatz of Bring Me The News shared Adofo-Mensah’s answer on X:
He’s on the field, throwing and training. He looks great. You talk about a kid who’s just obsessed with football and loves being around the game. We’re excited about what we have in him. We’re excited about this offseason for him.
It’s encouraging that McCarthy can physically train after being forced to spend most of the season only taking mental reps. There was some concern that a procedure on his surgically repaired knee could be a setback. But it looks like McCarthy has a chance to be ready when team offseason workouts begin in April.
The response also feels like a vote of confidence in moving forward with McCarthy. There was speculation that Sam Darnold could be brought back after a strong start to the 2024 season. However, his final two games of the season were underwhelming. If the Vikings feel as strongly about McCarthy as Adofo-Mensah said, deciding to move on from Darnold shouldn’t be difficult.
Adofo-Mensah doesn’t get many opportunities to speak to the media during the season. With the season over, he was able to let his guard down some and give insight into some of the organization’s offseason planning. It sounds like he’s excited about what McCarthy can show this offseason. And that should give fans optimism as the team tries returning to the playoffs in 2025.
