J.J. McCarthy's return to the Minnesota Vikings was short but solid. The quarterback, who missed his rookie season due to a knee injury, led a scoring drive in a 20-10 victory over the Houston Texans on Saturday.

As he prepares for his long-awaited NFL debut, J.J. McCarthy's seemingly ideal situation has gotten a little complicated. Here's why.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy made an honest remark during training camp as he looks forward to his debut season.

J.J. McCarthy made a solid return for the Vikings, completing 4 of 7 passes for 30 yards in a preseason win over the Houston Texans.

At one point during Thursday's joint practice with the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy reportedly completed 13 consecutive passes.

McCarthy booted on one snap and found Addison near the sideline. He sailed a third-down pass over the middle intended for receiver Lucky Jackson. He scrambled and secured a fourth-down conversion. He escaped on another third down and nearly completed a throw-back attempt to running back Jordan Mason.

But just two-and-a-half weeks before the start of the regular season and the Vikings are reportedly scouring the trade market for an impact pass-catcher to take some pressure off

Despite being based on playstyle, instead of outcomes, nobody wants to hear their first-round pick linked to an uninspiring veteran. Perhaps some Minnesota Vikings fans recoiled when listening to Ty Dunne's "Go Long" podcast, where analyst Matthew Coller suggested that quarterback J.J. McCarthy looked a lot like Alex Smith.

It's safe to say there's a lot riding on J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. The Vikings won 14 games and flirted with the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed a year ago. Instead of paying big bucks to retain the quarterback who led that charge,

J.J. McCarthy's secret weapon in 2025 may not be a guy who will be getting a ton of receptions in the passing game.

Yes, Vikings running back Aaron Jones compared J.J. McCarthy's football brain to Aaron Rodgers. That's an incredible compliment from a teammate, but one that comes with a bit more strength since Jones was Rodgers' teammate in Green Bay for six seasons.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell shared the latest regarding the chemistry between J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson.