Rookies report tomorrow!
It starts tomorrow! Most Vikings fans are exciting and anxious to see JJ McCarthy play. The season will ride on his progress which is a good thing for the long haul. I expect he will do just as well as the rookie quarterbacks did last year save for running as well as Jayden Daniels. He should complete a high percentage of his passes (65% plus) and will likely finish close to or over 4000 yards passing. His TD to INT ratio probably will be right around where the other rookies were at last year if not better. The Vikings have done an excellent job creating an environment (i.e., supporting cast) around him so that he can succeed. He will only need to play QB and not have to try and do too much. I expect some struggles but that happens with all rookies.
We need and deserve a rookie QB that shines and becomes a long term fixture (10 years) at the QB position playing at a high level no?
The Minnesota Vikings’ 2025 training camp will begin with rookies and quarterbacks reporting on July 20th, followed by the rest of the team on July 22nd. The first open practice to the public will be on Saturday, July 26th. Practices will be held at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota.
Key Dates:
July 20: Rookies and quarterbacks report.
July 22: Veteran players report.
July 26: First public practice, part of “Back Together Weekend”.
July 28 – August 6: Multiple open practices scheduled.
August 9: First Preseason Game vs Texans
August 11 & 13: Additional open practices, with August 13th being a joint practice with the Patriots.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Minnesota Vikings training camp 2025 preview: Key dates, notable additions, biggest storylines
Preseason Schedule
Week 1: vs. Houston Texans | Saturday, Aug. 9 at 4 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
Week 2: vs. New England Patriots | Saturday, Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. ET
Week 3: at Tennessee Titans | Friday, Aug. 22 at 8 p.m. ET (CBS)
What You Need To Know
1) It’s all about J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. The second-year quarterback will be under the microscope as he takes over an offense that rejuvenated Sam Darnold’s career last season. The Vikings decided not to buffer McCarthy with a veteran backup after Daniel Jones opted to sign with Indianapolis. Apologies to the Sam Howell stans, but he’s not a threat to McCarthy. The former first-round pick inherited the Porsche of offenses, which has made almost every driver look good. Kevin O’Connell is a proven QB whisperer, so the assumption is that McCarthy should have little trouble keeping things afloat. With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and a remade offensive line, the Vikes offer weapons to aid the young signal-caller. Minnesota is a 14-win club that, on paper, improved entering 2025. The loudest question is McCarthy and whether he can keep the engine humming after missing all of 2024. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that McCarthy is the pendulum that could swing the course of the entire NFC North.
2) The top camp battle in Minnesota comes in the secondary. Heretofore, the Vikings have yet to add a veteran to the mix who could push for a starting gig next to Byron Murphy.
3) Will the interior offensive line upgrades pay off? The internal pressure proved to be Sam Darnold’s undoing last year. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah set out to fix the issue, signing veterans Ryan Kelly and Will Fries from Indy. Then he drafted guard Donovan Jackson in the first round.
Lunchbreak: ESPN Evaluates 2 Hypothetical Scenarios for J.J. McCarthy
What is J.J. McCarthy ready for?
Ben Solak of ESPN included the question in his article Wednesday previewing 20 storylines for 2025 NFL training camps. He examined five questions, five position battles, five injuries and five rookies to watch.
In one, McCarthy’s season of rehabbing a meniscus injury in his right knee lends itself to elite mental preparation and enables him to be “sharp as a tack” operating Head Coach Kevin O’Connell’s nimbly designed system. In essence, McCarthy skips past the common phase of rookie mistakes, and “offers more on the boot than Darnold ever did, creating a new layer in the already dangerous Vikings offense,” Solak wrote, because he’s fully physically recovered.
At the other end of the spectrum, Solak describes a reality where the Vikings literally hit the ground running, because McCarthy’s knee gives him pause and he isn’t quite ready for the speed of the NFL.
In this alternate world, Minnesota relies as heavily on its restructured o-line, but for a different purpose – to push defenses onto their heels and create space for Aaron Jones, Sr., and newcomer Jordan Mason.
2025 Vikings Training Camp Preview: Cornerbacks & Safeties
CORNERBACKS
RETURNEES: Mekhi Blackmon, Byron Murphy, Jr., and Dwight McGlothern
NEWCOMERS: Veterans Kahlef Hailassie (with Cleveland in 2024), Jeff Okudah (with Houston in 2024), Isaiah Rodgers (with Philadelphia in 2024), Reddy Steward (with Chicago in 2024), Ambry Thomas (spent final few weeks of 2024 season on Vikings practice squad); UDFAs Keenan Garber and Zemaiah Vaughn
SAFETIES
RETURNEES: Theo Jackson, Joshua Metellus, Harrison Smith and Jay Ward
NEWCOMERS: Veteran Tavierre Thomas (listed as a DB, with Tampa Bay in 2024); UDFA Mishael Powell
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3 Key Questions for Vikings cornerbacks and safeties
1. How will youth supplant experience?
The age disparity is jarring.
Smith is 36. He’s got seven years on Thomas, who’s the next oldest player in Minnesota’s backend. After him, there’s several 27-year-olds – Metellus, Murphy and Rodgers – who are expected to be major contributors, and a deep bag of guys aged 26 and younger who are approaching their physical primes.
2. Who takes on the mantle of “celebration coordinator” for the Vikings?
Someone will be fast-tracked to fill Bynum’s role on defense – but what about replacing his other job?
3. Which under-the-radar players could emerge?
For starters, let’s highlight Rodgers.
A Super Bowl champion with Philadelphia, the 2020 sixth-round draft pick of the Colts played his way onto Flores’ radar years ago, and yet his spring signing with the Vikings didn’t result in that much hype.
Yore Mock
Trade Partner: Titans
Sent: 3.97
Received: 4.103, 6.184
…
18. Francis Mauigoa OT Miami (FL) 6’6” 315
50. Kamari Ramsey S USC 6’0” 202
82. Zane Durant DL Penn State 6’1” 292
103. Kaytron Allen RB Penn State 5’11” 217
118. Daylen Everette CB Georgia 6’1” 190
140. Bud Clark S TCU 6’2” 185
184. Aaron Graves DL Iowa 6’4” 300
232. Connor Tollison IOL Missouri 6’4” 295
257. Bryce Boettcher LB Oregon 6’2” 225
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