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.

Former No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy will take over for Sam Darnold in 2025, and there will be high expectations for him right off the bat. Not only does he have a fantastic cast of weapons to work with,