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Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy sends strong message about whether he's ready to start in 2025
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was sidelined because of a right meniscus tear during his rookie season, but he's certain he's ready to rock in 2025.
"I know I'm ready to start," McCarthy said while grinning and wearing a backward baseball hat in a Tuesday news conference. "And I appreciate that question."
The 22-year-old then explained why he's brimming with confidence, despite his lack of experience.
"Because all the work I put in and just the confidence in my skills and abilities," McCarthy said. "And just being able to do my job and simplify things to the best of my ability every single day. And just taking it one day at a time, one play at a time. I have a tremendous coaching staff, a tremendous group of guys around me that I can lean on and they can lean on me."
Minnesota has yet to name McCarthy as its starter, but he's expected to be its QB1 next season. The Vikings let QB Sam Darnold sign with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, even though he tossed the league's fifth-most touchdown passes (35 in 17 starts) last season.
The Vikings showed interest in free-agent QB Aaron Rodgers this offseason but didn't sign him. During the 2025 NFL Draft, Minnesota acquired backup QB Sam Howell in a trade with the Seahawks to add depth at the most important position.
The Vikings went 14-3 last season but lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC wild-card round. They hope McCarthy — the 10th overall pick of the 2024 draft — catapults them to the top of the conference.
McCarthy won a national championship at Michigan during the 2023 season but failed to produce eye-popping numbers throughout his college career. In three seasons with the Wolverines, he never threw for more than 2,991 passing yards and 22 touchdown passes.
While it's too early to determine whether McCarthy is the last piece of the Vikings' Super Bowl puzzle, at least he seems to have the swagger a franchise cornerstone needs.
More must-reads:
- Could Vikings eventually give Kirk Cousins an escape from Falcons?
- Are Falcons actively searching for a Kirk Cousins buyer?
- The 'NFL passer rating leaders' quiz
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Cowboys WR George Pickens has telling response to question about contract
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Latest Matt Rhule news should end Penn State rumors
The Penn State Nittany Lions can likely scratch another candidate off their coaching wish list. On Thursday, ESPN "College GameDay" insider Pete Thamel reported Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule has signed a two-year contract extension with the program, which will run through the 2032 season. It includes a $15M buyout this season, which should prevent another school from poaching him. Why Matt Rhule was considered a strong candidate to replace recently fired Penn State HC James Franklin After Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12, Rhule was immediately linked to the job. As a teenager, the New York native moved to State College, where he became a walk-on linebacker for the Nittany Lions from 1994-97. He clearly still loves his alma mater. "I love Penn State, met my wife there, my alma mater," Rhule told the media shortly after Franklin was fired. "Fan since I was born, I think probably had a Penn State shirt when I was born. I really love [athletic director] Pat Kraft, and I'm sad to see coach Franklin go." While the AD for the Temple Owls, Kraft gave Rhule his first head-coaching job in 2013. Now that he has signed the extension, he can't turn to his old friend again and must explore other options. Where does Penn State go from here? The list of candidates in Penn State's head-coaching search is shrinking. The Indiana Hoosiers signed HC Curt Cignetti, another potential target, to an eight-year, $11.6M contract on Oct. 16. The Nittany Lions could attempt to court Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin, who has his team in the thick of the national championship hunt after a 7-1 start. However, if he does leave Oxford, expect him to stay in the SEC rather than flocking to the Big Ten. Some believe Kiffin may be the next HC of the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. And for any optimistic Penn State fans thinking they can lure ESPN analyst Nick Saban out of retirement, dream on. The former Alabama Crimson Tide HC has said there's "no way" he's returning to coaching. Don't bank on Penn State (3-4) promoting interim HC Terry Smith, especially after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 25-24, in his first game. Instead, it may target HCs Mike Elko (Texas A M Aggies), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt Commodores) and Jeff Brohm (Louisville Cardinals). Penn State alumni may have welcomed a homecoming for Rhule. Now, it no longer looks like a possibility.
'TNF' takeaways: Lamar Jackson dazzles in return as Ravens humiliate Dolphins
The Baltimore Ravens dominated the Miami Dolphins in a 28-6 rout on "Thursday Night Football" as quarterback Lamar Jackson shined in his return from injury. Here are four takeaways from the first NFL game of Week 9: Lamar Jackson returns in style You would never know that Jackson had not played since Week 4 judging by his incredible performance on Thursday night. He wasted no time getting started with this fourth-down strike to tight end Mark Andrews in the opening quarter and capped his four-TD night with a nine-yard connection to wide receiver Rashod Bateman late in the third quarter. His 18 total TD passes against the Dolphins are the second-most all-time in five games vs. one opponent, only behind George Blanda's 21 against the New York Titans. After going 18-of-23 for 204 yards and four TDs, Jackson now has 14 passing TDs and only one interception in five games. If he stays healthy, this Ravens team will be difficult to slow down in the second half of the season. Mike McDaniel's seat keeps getting hotter It keeps getting worse for the Dolphins head coach after Thursday's latest dud. Miami had 332 yards of offense, but went 0-for-3 in the red zone and committed three turnovers, including a brutal one in their own territory in the first quarter. During a pregame segment on Prime Video, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was asked what McDaniel's future looks like in Miami and said his job status is "firmly up in the air." While he said he did not "see anything imminent" from owner Stephen Ross, it will come down to how the players respond going forward. Although he signed an extension prior to last season and is under contract through 2028, a 2-7 record and another blowout loss is doing nothing to help McDaniel's case at the moment. Kyle Hamilton spearheads strong defensive performance from Ravens The Ravens entered the night allowing the third-most points per game (30 PPG), but Thursday night was a much different story. The All-Pro safety Hamilton may have not had the most tackles on the team, but his impact was certainly felt with six total tackles and one tackle for loss. He was more impressive than the stats show, especially at creating pressure on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and keeping Miami from having any success between the tackles. In the first quarter alone, Hamilton did not even line up as a safety in his first 15 snaps and still only gave up one yard rushing on four carries, opposed to 31 yards on three carries away from him, per Next Gen Stats. For a team that has struggled defensively, they need more of what they got on Thursday night if they are going to claw their way back into the AFC North conversation. Don't count the Ravens out yet It was not that long ago that Baltimore was 1-5 and staring at a wasted season. After back-to-back wins, an improving 3-5 record and a sloppy AFC North in which the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) are the only team above .500, the Ravens are firmly in the hunt. In fact, FanDuel currently lists them as the favorites (-145) to win the division as of Thursday night. The defense still needs to prove itself against stiffer competition, but if Jackson continues to ball out, the Ravens could complete a remarkable turnaround and mix up the AFC playoff picture.
Steelers Fans Get New Glowing Report About Safety Kyle Dugger As He Brings A Huge Upgrade To The Defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a team that has been involved in plenty of trade rumors, and those rumors amplify as the trade deadline grows closer. The deadline is on November 4th, and Pittsburgh has made its first trade of the regular season. The organization acquired safety Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots earlier in the week as the two sides swapped a sixth and seventh round pick as well in the deal. Dugger was a smart player for the Steelers to acquire, especially after DeShon Elliott's knee injury that got him placed on Injured Reserve. Elliott could miss serious time with his injury, but he will be out for at least four games and it could be more. Dugger will come in and try to fill his shoes, as he should be an immediate contributor to the defense. The trade was officially announced by the team on Thursday, so he won't have much time to get on the practice field or ingratiate himself into the defensive system. He could see the field some on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, but it would be in a limited capacity. Current Pittsburgh safety Jabrill Peppers played with Dugger in New England, and he shared some glowing comments on his new teammate while speaking with Jim Wexell of SteelCityInsider. "Personally, I think he's one of the better safeties in the league -- 6-1, 6-2, long arms, fast, explosive, can cover, play the run, play over the top, can play underneath," Peppers told SteelCityInsider. "He was dealing with a little bit of an injury last year. His deltoid was off the bone. I don't know if anybody really knew, like, what was going on with him, but it's kind of hard to play with things like that. So I'm excited for him." Dugger only played in 13 games during the 2024 season due to his shoulder injury, but he did try to play through, which it led to a slight dip in his production. A new coaching staff came into New England during the 2025 offseason, and they decided to go in a new direction at safety. This led to Peppers getting cut and then signed by Pittsburgh, and it also led to Dugger being available via trade. Peppers is expected to be starting at safety on Sunday against the Colts, and he and Dugger should eventually become the starting safety duo for the Steelers once the newly acquired safety gets acclimated. Dugger has racked up 441 total tackles in his career to go with nine interceptions. He is a great tackler and is a true asset in run support, which is something Pittsburgh needs as the season moves on. Pittsburgh's defense has been very disappointing so far in 2025, and hopefully the change to Dugger and Peppers at safety is able to provide some sort of spark for the back end. The Steelers need it, especially with a three-game losing streak looming. Steelers Made Great Low-Risk Move In Acquiring Kyle Dugger Dugger was relatively cheap for Pittsburgh when it came to draft capital, but many fans were immediately worried about the financial impact of the deal. The safety had signed a lucrative contract extension back in 2024, and that was a concern with him coming into Pittsburgh. The deal was for four years and $58 million, but the Steelers had it negotiated in the trade talks that the rest of the years on the deal are wiped out. This means the safety will be a free agent after the 2025 season ends, and the organization is not tied to him financially. In addition to that, New England is also paying the majority of his remaining salary for the 2025 season. This is already a win for the Steelers.
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