BB.Vikings’ Adam Thielen Drops STRONG Message About J.J. McCarthy’s Future in Minnesota
Patrick McDermott/Getty
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 08: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts while playing against the Chicago Bears during the game at Soldier Field on September 08, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Despite being 2-1 on the season and coming off a blowout win over the Bengals, the Minnesota Vikings have a rocky go of it so far in 2025. Much of that rests on QB J.J. McCarthy‘s shoulders, a second-year player and former first-round pick out of Michigan in the 2024 draft. He missed his entire rookie season with a meniscus tear, but he entered the 2025 offseason as the undisputed starter.
A Minnesota Vikings legend, WR Adam Thielen, back with the team after two seasons in Carolina, came to his quarterback’s defense. Ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, Thielen spoke with an Irish sports talk show about McCarthy’s poise and ability.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s built for that. He’s built for that,” Thielen said in reference to McCarthy. “And I say that because of his attitude, his mindset. He has that ‘it’ factor. I think it’s something that’s not tangible, it’s not something you can see at the Combine, it’s something that you just feel and you see day in and day out.”
Through two games, McCarthy has struggled mightily. He led an exciting comeback win over the Bears in Week 1, with a scintillating fourth quarter in which he accounted for three touchdowns. But the following week against the Falcons, he 11/21 for 153 yards and a pair of interceptions, and was sacked six times.
McCarthy missed Week 3 with a high-ankle sprain and will not play against the Steelers in Dublin on Sunday. He could return as soon as Week 5, however. In his place, veteran QB Carson Wentz has taken the reigns.
Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen on Why He Returned to Minnesota
Stephen Maturen/GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 14: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings and Adam Thielen #19 of the Minnesota Vikings look on from the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
“And that’s what made me excited to come back here — is guys like [McCarthy], just that have that ‘it’ factor,” Thielen said. “Doesn’t mean that everything’s always going to be perfect, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be pretty all the time, but as you saw in that fourth quarter of that Bears game, he’s going to find a way. And he’s going to find a way to handle adversity and overcome it.”
“And at the end of the day in this league, it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter how good you are, you’re gonna have adversity. Individually, as an offense, as a team, you’re gonna face adversity. And the more guys you have that are set up and built to handle that, the better you are. Especially as your leader and quarterback.”
Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen on QB J.J. McCarthy’s Moxie
“Yeah, no, I get what you’re saying,” Thielen said on if McCarthy settled down in the fourth quarter against the Bears because he wasn’t thinking as much. “I think he’s just a gamer. I think there’s just that point in the game where he was like, ‘all right, let me just go game. And let me just go let it out and whatever happens, happens.’ He was the most positive guy in that huddle the entire game.”
“And that’s not just coachspeak, right. That’s real. It’s not easy to do that when things aren’t going well as an offense, things aren’t going well as a team, and you naturally want to go to those negative thoughts, and he didn’t allow that to happen. It just says a lot about his mentality. And again, those are the guys you want to fight for, those are the guys you want to go to war with, you want to try and find a way to win a championship with a guy like that.”
Ethan Woodie is an accomplished sports writer specializing in the NFL and college football for Heavy.com. He’s written for Heavy since 2025 and has years of experience writing for NFL Trade Rumors and Pro Football Focus (PFF). Woodie is an expert in draft scouting and his final 2025 Big Board was included in Arif Hasan’s media consensus board for Wide Left. More about Ethan Woodie
Aaron Rodgers Delivers Blunt Truth After Steelers Beat Vikings
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Aaron Rodgers of Pittsburgh Steelers looks on against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings had an opportunity to sign Aaron Rodgers this offseason, going so far as to make contact with the 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time MVP before the campaign opened, but passed in favor of letting J.J. McCarthy operate as QB1 virtually unopposed.
Rodgers, who is friends with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, has not forgotten.
The former Green Bay Packers star did not delve too deeply into his communications with the Vikings before the season. He was similarly revealing about beating them in Week 4.
Aaron Rodgers: Beating Vikings ‘Definitely’ Means More
GettyAaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on after beating the Minnesota Vikings.
Rodgers’ interest in the Vikings was well-documented, with the veteran securing his release from the New York Jets and leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers in limbo as Minnesota’s situation played out over the summer.
Reporters asked Rodgers directly if the Steelers’ 24-21 win was “extra special” since it came against the Vikings.
“Yes, definitely,” Rodgers told reporters on September 28. “Just leave it at that. Yes.”
Rodgers completed 81.8% of his passes for 200 yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions against the Vikings. He was also sacked twice in the international affair that took place in Dublin, Ireland.
His comments are very much in alignment with his sentiments about discussing the Vikings’ before the game.
“Kevin and I have been friends since 2008. We used to work out together at a little place called Fitness Quest 10 out in North County, San Diego,” Rodgers said during his media availability on September 24. “I’ve known him forever. We’ve been friends forever, and we keep in touch. He’s one of the guys I keep in touch with. Things never progressed … farther than catch-up conversations, and I’ll just leave it at that.”
Faith in J.J. McCarthy Blocked Aaron Rodgers’ Path to Vikings
GettyMinnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rodgers is now 18-12-1 against the Vikings in his career, but he would have followed the path of fellow former Packer and Jet, Brett Favre, to Minnesota. Instead, he got the cold truth from his friend, O’Connell.
“Aaron and I have known each other since he lived in San Diego at the time when I was playing the NFL. We’d work out together in the offseasons, built a friendship, rapport … We’ve kept in touch throughout seasons. So, there was an opportunity when him and I connected this offseason, just to kind of talk about, ‘Hey, what would that look like?’ We had a lot of great dialogue about it,” O’Connell said on KFAN in June.
“It always was centered around what was best, not only for the present in the Minnesota Vikings organization, but the future. And I was very honest about my feelings towards J.J., my obligation that I felt like we’re going to give him the best possible situation to begin and thrive on this NFL journey, and let’s see where it goes.”
McCarthy will run the scout team in London ahead of the Vikings’ Week 5 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. That is, if he is healthy enough.
The Vikings started Carson Wentz (350-2-2, 65.25% completion, 6 sacks) in Week 4.
Whether the Vikings would have emerged victorious with Rodgers instead of Wentz – or even McCarthy – under center will linger. That is especially true if both teams continue on their current trajectories throughout the rest of the regular season.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
