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Tom Brady Sends Strong Message on J.J. McCarthy After Vikings’ Win

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 7:09 PM ET

Week 2 of the NFL season has arrived with the Thursday Night Football game featuring the Washington Commanders at the Green Bay Packers. But, despite that game, and despite Sunday featuring a Super Bowl rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, many eyes in the league are on Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

His fourth-quarter performance led his team to a 27-24 win over divisional rival Chicago Bears in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football. Now, McCarthy and his Vikings will be back on primetime, as they host the Atlanta Falcons, this time on Sunday Night Football.

As the teams prepare for Week 2 and experts discuss the latest happenings and upcoming games, legendary quarterback Tom Brady was on with Colin Cowherd on 'The Herd" on Thursday and was asked about McCarthy. His comments were interesting and strong after just one game from McCarthy.

Cowherd started the conversation by talking about a comparison he sees:

"He's got a little Baker Mayfield. He wears his emotions on his sleeve."

Brady's comments, which can be heard in their entirety here, are interesting and strong for the quarterback who has played one career NFL game.

Brady came right back, talking about seeing McCarthy's excitement."

"I absolutely love it when I see the emotion. I think it brings you to a higher level of focus. Stands in there, takes a hit, and makes a great throw. That game is all about emotion."

The legendary quarterback continued:

" I think J.J. just expresses it a little bit more."

He finished it up on McCarthy with more strong words:

"I love that aspect of his game. He's just got to keep that going for a long time. I believe that is part of your condition, and that ability to elevate your teammates in a big moment."

The former Michigan Wolverines star finished 13 of 20 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He was not perfect, though, throwing a third-quarter interception to put the Bears up 17-6 heading into the fourth.

His ability to bounce back from that and lead Minnesota to 21 fourth-quarter points is what most analysts are excited about. He also ran for a touchdown, finishing with 25 yards on the ground.

McCarthy and the Vikings now get an Atlanta defense that held Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay offense in check for much of the game, but eventually fell 23-20. Mayfield had just 167 passing yards in the game.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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