Breaking: Mike Zimmer, the former head coach of the Vikings, wrote Kevin O’Connell an astonishing letter on J.J. McCarthy’s injuries.

Resurfacing after months of recovery, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy looks different. Captured on the Vikings sidelines during their final regular season game, the former 10th overall pick was visibly thinner and, to some, unrecognizable. There’s been widespread speculation about McCarthy losing weight during his recovery process and how it might impact the Vikings’ decision at quarterback this offseason. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert confirmed all of the above. In a Jan. 25 article, Seifert reported that McCarthy has lost 20 pounds from his recovery in the fall. “Listed at 219 pounds at the start of training camp, McCarthy dropped more than 20 pounds this fall, following a pattern familiar for many football players who put strength workouts on hold during the rehabilitation process,” Seifert wrote. McCarthy has time to regain that weight, although 20 pounds of muscle is a steep task in a matter of a few months considering he must rebuild his throwing mechanics from the ground up as well. That’s led to the Vikings’ brass maintaining a “neutral tone” about their outlook at quarterback for the 2025 season. “His appearance was a visual symbol of the neutral terms Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell used last week in discussing his immediate future,” Seifert added. Related: Vikings QB Trade Pitch for No. 2 Pick Turns Heads Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said McCarthy is on track to where they hoped he’d be after undergoing a full meniscus repair in August. “He is … right where we hoped he would be at this point,” O’Connell said, per ESPN “to have the type of offseason to be able to answer that question.”