Kevin O'Connell and Minnesota made the decision to pass on Aaron Rodgers to make McCarthy their starting quarterback. That shows a lot of confidence in a player who hasn't played a single professional snap. With that being said, O'Connell opened up with a very strong message about McCarthy ahead of the team's preseason opener.

J.J. McCarthy missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury in a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Although he attacked the rehab process and put himself in a position to succeed this year, the practice opponent isn’t making it easy on him.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy will play in Saturday's preseason opener, head coach Kevin O'Connell said, the young passer's first on-field action since an injury ended his rookie year.