Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is ‘rewiring neurological pathways’ in his adjustment to NFL

J.J. McCarthy said Wednesday that he’s trying to fit in little reps everywhere, even taking 10 dropbacks every time he lets his dogs out in the yard.

It’s a small part of the extra, outside work for the 22-year-old Vikings quarterback after his fifth career start, a loss to the Chicago Bears in which he completed only 50% of his pass attempts and threw two interceptions, bringing his season total to eight.

“Coming up on his sixth start now, I think we’re all just looking for continued evidence of the growth,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said during an appearance Tuesday on KFAN Radio. “We gotta start seeing the cement dry on some of the things we’ve really worked hard to make football habits for him from a fundamentals and technique standpoint.”

McCarthy pointed to his injuries — his 2024 season-ending knee injury and this year’s high ankle sprain that sidelined him five games — as having taken away valuable time to create repetition and find consistency within O’Connell’s system.

He said Wednesday that the way O’Connell and the Vikings are teaching him quarterback is “very new” and “very different” from the way he had been taught previously, though he did say that wasn’t unexpected in making the jump to the NFL.

Still: “It’s really hard,” McCarthy said. “You’re rewiring neurological pathways, and that’s not something that happens overnight.”

McCarthy’s teammates understand: Running back Aaron Jones Sr., who worked with Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love his first season as starter, repeated Wednesday that he views part of his job being to take pressure off a young QB. Wide receiver Adam Thielen spoke Monday about “trusting the system” and how he saw Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young develop over his first two seasons.

The two have connected on only 22 of 43 targets this season, and Jefferson said no one’s trying to hide the frustration in some of the struggles the team is experiencing.

“Yes, it’s difficult. But as a captain, as a leader of this team, I have to be the first one out there,” Jefferson said Sunday. “I gotta be headfirst leading us into that direction of winning, of being where we need to be. So if that takes taking J.J. out and getting more time with him and creating that connection with him, then that’s what I gotta do.”

McCarthy said the extra time with Jefferson hasn’t necessarily been on the practice field or working out but just hanging out together. He said the two have established a relationship over the past two years that allows them “to be honest with each other and not let emotions and egos get in the way.”

That echoes part of what Jones said about what it’s like to work with a young quarterback: That often it first comes with getting to know the player off the field before on it.

“I can’t thank them enough for the patience level and the leadership out of every person in that group,” McCarthy said of his veteran teammates. “Them pushing me every single day to be the best version of myself and doing it in ways that a lot of people don’t see. I just love ‘em with all my heart and just so grateful for every single one of those guys.”

Kelly, who went on injured reserve Oct. 4 after suffering his second concussion of the season Sept. 28 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, returned to practice last week and was listed as a full participant Wednesday. O’Connell said Friday that Kelly had already done some work with the first-string offense in the first phase of his return.

Throughout training camp, coaches, along with McCarthy and Kelly themselves, spoke of the positive impact a veteran center can have on a young quarterback.

If Kelly returns for Sunday’s game at Green Bay, he would be another piece to relieve some pressure on McCarthy, calm his brain down so that the good things the Vikings say they see in practice show through come game time.

Still, McCarthy’s foundation needs to set so he can be stable on his own.

“He’s going to keep working at it,” O’Connell said of McCarthy on Monday. “We’re going to go back to work and continue to find every avenue, every way to try to help build the consistency to his mechanics.