Since Kevin O’Connell became head coach of the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 2022 season, their offense has been defined by one thing: passing. A lot of passing. And the stats back it up.
In each of the three seasons that O’Connell has been calling plays and designing the offense, the Vikings have ranked in the top 6 of the NFL for passing yards. This includes the 2023 season, where the team rotated between Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall at quarterback. The Vikings also finished in the top 4 in passing attempts, with 631 in 2023 and 672 with Kirk Cousins in 2022.
All indications suggest that the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback for 2025 will be 22-year-old JJ McCarthy. A closer look at the numbers makes one thing clear: provided the redshirt rookie, who missed all of 2024 due to a torn meniscus, stays healthy, he will not only throw the ball more than ever before but is also expected to throw roughly twice as much as he did in college.
What to expect from JJ McCarthy in 2025
The most passes McCarthy ever threw in a single season at Michigan was 332 during his junior year, his final college season. Under Jim Harbaugh, McCarthy’s primary role was to convert third downs, a task he excelled at with a 73.1% success rate, the best in the country. Even more impressively, he completed 36 of 49 (73.4%) third-and-7-plus yard attempts. He also led the nation in completion percentage (72.3%) in 2023.
However, for those expecting McCarthy to be thrown into a pass-heavy, “modern” Minnesota offense in 2025—something many NFL analysts and fans expect—take a closer look at what head coach Kevin O’Connell said this week at the NFL Owners Meetings in Florida.
Minnesota Vikings offense to focus on the run next season?
While O’Connell has been somewhat secretive about what the Vikings’ offense will look like, he revealed more details about his 2025 plans during an interview on “This is Football” with ESPN’s Kevin Clark. In a thoughtful, one-minute response to a question about what changes to expect from the Vikings next season, O’Connell shared his intention to gradually ease McCarthy into the offense. How exactly will he do that?
