The 2024 Rose Bowl MVP JJ McCarthy could not have a dream start to his NFL career. McCarthy came in the NFL draft, fresh off a stellar run with Michigan. In the 2023 season, the Wolverines went unbeaten and won the Big Ten for a third straight season. Michigan also got its first win in the College Football Playoff. Personally, McCarthy has been a key piece of that success, completing 73.2 percent of passes for 2,851 yards and 22 touchdowns during the Wolverines’ title game run. With all that, the 22-year-old found a home with the Vikings and was ready to hit the gridiron as an NFL player. Just as everything seemed to be falling in place, the unexpected struck.

During the Vikings’ August 10, 2024 prese0season game he suffered a knee injury. Initially, he was unsure about the extent of the injury. It was on the next say that he felt everything was not OK. He explained he was descending a staircase at home the next day and felt his knee buckle. “I was like, ‘I should get this checked out,’ “ McCarthy said. “That’s when we decided to get the MRI, and that’s when the results showed that medial and radial tear.” If doctors opened up the knee and decided to trim the meniscus, he’d have a chance to return at some point in the 2024 season. If it was serious enough to require a full repair, his season was over. Unfortunately, the doctors chose the latter.

So, McCarthy’s rookie campaign was over after just one preseason game. As he put it, he was “Extremely shocked” upon learning this. “It’s tough. It’s kind of a kick in the balls, but you take everything that life throws at you and you find the positive it, good or bad,” McCarthy had said. Indeed, he has shown this mindset not only in the gridiron but also while dealing with a health condition that is a part of his life.

On Tuesday, JJ McCarthy stopped by The Rich Eisen Show and got real about something he’s been dealing with for a while—ADHD. The 22-year-old opened up about the struggles that come with it, something millions of Americans can relate to. In fact, a report says around 15.5 million U.S. adults (about 6%) are living with an ADHD diagnosis. “The most important thing for me is with my ADHD I’m very unorganized throughout my day. And I have to just like really maintain a strict schedule. And have these nightly debriefs.”

Speaking of his ADHD struggle and how he manages to focus on his NFL career, the QB shared how he tries to see it as his ‘superpower.’ “I feel like ADHD has gotten a bad rap. I feel like, you know, there are a lot of different things coming out in the medical world that I have no right to speak on. But a lot of people could do the research for themselves and realize that it is somewhat of a superpower.” Looks like he has made it a habit to turn debacles to his stride. Look at this.

Just three days after suffering the injury, McCarthy delivered fans a message via social media that read: “Love you Viking nation. I’ll be back in no time. Amor fati.” The Latin phrase amor fati refers to the Stoic mindset of making the best out of any situation. “I’m a huge believer in ‘life happens for you, not to you. And you know, that’s pretty much what ‘amor fati’ means,” McCarthy said. “That kind of stuck with me, just knowing that I could apply that in every aspect of my life, especially throughout my football career.”

With all that, the recent buzz is that McCarthy is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery from the injury. The news that he had a second procedure in November created some concern among fans, but that was apparently a fairly unusual biologic injection to address some swelling. “I would say this, he’s ahead of schedule,” Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer told Rich Eisen this week. “He’s able to do just about everything now. The second surgery was really just a clean-up. And he’s gonna have a full offseason. So he’s not gonna be limited by anything this offseason.” But that brings up the big question: will he start as QB1? Yes, we are talking about Sam Darnold here.

Sam Darnold or JJ McCarthy: Who will be the Vikings QB1?

Some serious troubles are brewing for Vikings QB Sam Darnold. The 27-year-old had a breakthrough season, throwing for 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns. But the quarterback position in 2025 has become a more intriguing question after how Sam Darnold finished the year. Minnesota had the chance to clinch the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the conference in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions. But the team suffered a 31-9 loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions, which Darnold finishing 18-of-41 for 166 yards.

Things didn’t get much better in the playoffs. Darnold was sacked nine times to tie a postseason record, and he threw for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 27-9 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. It reminded his infamous quote about “seeing ghosts” in a 2019 game with the New York Jets. Sam was on a one-year deal with the Vikings and will be a free agent in March.

He has two options: sign a massive contract with another team or negotiate an extension with Minnesota. But there’s a problem with the latter. According to ESPN’s Ben Solak, the Vikings might not be willing to offer a hefty contract, especially if his value reaches around $40 million per year.

Minnesota might not want to trade him either, especially after a spectacular season. So, they could use the franchise tag to keep him around for another year without committing long-term. Then, after a season, they might look to trade him and hand the starting job to J.J. McCarthy.

That might work out for the Vikings, but not so much for Sam Darnold. He’s coming off a solid season. And a couple of teams—the Jets and Raiders, for starters -are on the lookout for a veteran QB. Darnold could be a real option for them. But will the Vikings let him walk? That’s the big question. Letting him go for nothing wouldn’t be a smart move. If anything, Minnesota will find a way to get something out of this -whether it’s a new deal, the franchise tag, or a trade.