Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy working out with former receiver Adam Thielen

J.J. McCarthy's summer plans? 'I'm going to be working my butt off'

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy spoke with reporters after the final day of the team's offseason workout program at TCO Performance Center.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings have about another month before players start reporting to training camp, but players are working out on their own.

That includes new quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and former receiver Adam Thielen. The Minnesota native posted a video to Instagram this week working out with the Vikings’ rookie quarterback. The two go through a variety of plays, and Thielen is sporting a helmet while McCarthy has a black backwards hat.

What’s hard to tell is where they did the workout. It appears to be on a high school field, and it was probably somewhere in the Twin Cities. McCarthy said at the end of the Vikings’ offseason workout program he would be at TCO Performance Center as much as humanly possible before training camp. Thielen still has a home in the Twin Cities.

The Vikings moved up in the NFL Draft to get McCarthy, who led Michigan to a national title. Thielen was released by the Vikings after the 2022 season in a cost-cutting move, and signed in free agency with the Carolina Panthers last season. He started all 17 games and made 103 catches for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.

Thielen signed a three-year deal with the Panthers and is under contract through the 2025 season. The Vikings will not rush McCarthy to be the starting quarterback after signing Sam Darnold to a one-year deal in free agency.