Entering the 2025 NFL season, all eyes for the Minnesota Vikings are on second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He has taken over as the team’s starting quarterback, but has yet to see a single snap of regular season football.

After seeing Sam Darnold lead the team to a 14-3 record last season, McCarthy is stepping into some big shoes. He has the talent to become a special NFL quarterback, but he’ll need to prove it on the field.

McCarthy missed all of last season due to a knee injury that he suffered in the preseason. While he missed all of that time, the Vikings had no plan to play him last year anyway.

Recently, Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke out and offered a major truth about the team’s plan last season with McCarthy.

Read more: Vikings’ Reason For Passing on Aaron Rodgers Revealed: Report

“We have just constant dialogue and conversations about what we wanted for J.J. that year, and he started exceeding [expectations] pretty quickly,” he said. “We were pretty clear publicly that we didn’t want him to play, not because he wouldn’t know how we would play, but we just thought, for the better success of his career, it’s better to sit and watch. He was pushing a little bit in terms of maybe even becoming the backup or different things like that, but just day-over-day growth that he would show he’s so coachable.”

Heading into this offseason, there were rumblings that the Vikings wanted to retain Darnold for another season. After Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, the team was connected heavily to Aaron Rodgers.

Despite all of the rumors, Minnesota opted to stand pat with McCarthy as its starter. The team is handing the keys of the future over to him in 2025.

Read more: Packers Make Final Decision on Jaire Alexander: Report

McCarthy does have the luck of having Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison as his top two wide receivers. He also has Aaron Jones, an elite running back and receiver out of the backfield. His weapons are a dream for a young quarterback.

No one knows what to expect from the former Michigan quarterback this season. Things could go smoothly or the road might be bumpy.

Regardless of how the season starts off, the Vikings have full belief in his ability. McCarthy is the guy for Minnesota and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.

For more Minnesota Vikings and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.