"Setting the bar really high": Ex-Bengals WR gets honest on J.J. McCarthy’s success odds in existing Vikings infrastructure

The Minnesota Vikings have put their full confidence in J.J. McCarthy this offseason. The franchise decided against bringing back QB Sam Darnold or signing a new QB in free agency in order to make way for McCarthy to lead the team in 2025.

By all accounts in practice so far, McCarthy has impressed with his skills and composure leading the Vikings offensive unit. On NFL Live on Monday, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrew Hawkins was asked to give his opinion about whether McCarthy has what it takes to lead one of the best teams in the league in 2025.

"I mean that's setting the bar really high when you're talking about 14-3 [last season]. But I do think J.J. will have a lot of success in this organization because of that infrastructure that we just saw. Everything is set up in that way and when you look at the Minnesota Vikings, when Kirk Cousins was in there they had that success under KOC [Kevin O'Connell] and some of that infrastructure."

Hawkins then continued by highlighting how nobody could have predicted Darnold's amazing 2024 season, but made clear that this points to McCarthy having success next year.

"Sam Darnold comes in, nobody in this football world would have predicted what we saw from the Vikings last year with Sam Darnold, but that infrastructure helped, you talk about KOC, you talk about Josh McCown…" (07:15) Hawkins said.

Can J.J. McCarthy succeed in Minnesota in 2025?

After being selected in the first round, No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy was injured in the preseason last year and did not play a snap during the 2024 season. However, the Vikings have a top head coach in Kevin O'Connell, an elite defensive unit with stars in Byron Murphy Jr. and Harrison Smith, as well as an amazing offensive unit that features Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

As a result, expectations are sky high for McCarthy to perform well and make a deep postseason run in 2025.

According to Bet365, the Vikings currently have better odds to miss the playoffs (-140) than to make it (+110). Minnesota also has the third best odds (+400) in the NFC North to win the division, despite being 14-3 last year and arguably having a better roster now.

NFC North Division Odds - Bet365