J.J. McCarthy begins and ends each day trying to find the space between his thoughts.
He learned about mindfulness at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Ill., a suburb 15 miles outside Chicago. However, McCarthy started meditating regularly after transferring to IMG Academy for his senior year in 2020.
IMG Academy is a prep boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa. McCarthy was over 1,000 miles from home and isolated from others at the school because of COVID-19 restrictions.
“I went through a period of depression, and I just was in a really dark spot,” he explained during training camp. “I had a blessed upbringing, never really knew what depression and anxiety was all about. And going through that alone and being isolated at a boarding school, I didn’t have too many resources to help me out with mental health.
“I started looking up things to help promote better mental health, and meditation was the first thing that popped up.”
Through 20 to 30 minutes of meditation, McCarthy can discover the space between one thought and another. In that space, he gains perspective and fuller consciousness. He no longer lingers on thoughts and feels connected, relieving him of depression.
“It keeps me in the present moment,” he said in training camp. “It helps me be self-aware, so I can learn so much about myself that my ego might be trying to defend.”
McCarthy is no longer 1,175 miles away from home and socially isolated. The Minnesota Vikings drafted him to be their franchise quarterback, and Minneapolis is 400 miles from Chicago. Still, he occupies a unique space in the Vikings locker room.
The Vikings traded up to take McCarthy with pick 10, making him the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history. However, he tore his meniscus in Minnesota’s first preseason game, making him the only first-round pick since the common draft began in 1967 to miss his rookie season because of an injury.
Minnesota also signed Sam Darnold this offseason, and he has played well in McCarthy’s absence. His five-touchdown game against the Atlanta Falcons inspired national pundits to ask whether the Vikings should trade McCarthy and extend Darnold.
Given their plans to develop him with clean hands and the cap ramifications of extending Darnold, the Vikings are unlikely to move on from McCarthy. Still, McCarthy resides in limbo. He may be Minnesota’s quarterback for the next decade; they could trade him in the offseason.
McCarthy has tried to maximize his time in Minnesota regardless of what happens. He starts and ends his day by meditating for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, he tries to exhaust himself mentally in between.
He does extensive tape study to understand Kevin O’Connell’s complex offense. McCarthy also has scouting reports on the impact players on each team the Vikings play. He checks his work by attending meetings with each position group and listening to the coaches and players describe their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
McCarthy is intentional about everything he does, including his rehab. He recovers in hot and cold tubs but also uses more advanced therapies, such as infrared lights, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides energy to the cells, and pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) trauma treatment. However, McCarthy’s favorite treatment is probably the Shiftwave zero-gravity chair, which promotes wellness and stress management.
“I hop in the Shiftwave chair right before practice,” he said during training camp. “I love the Shiftwave.”
McCarthy says he learns film study and recovery techniques from everyone in Minnesota’s facility, including the coaches, other quarterbacks, and the training staff.
O’Connell and his coaching staff promote player wellness and explain the why behind their instructions. Minnesota employs four other quarterbacks, including Darnold and Daniel Jones, who have 12 years of starting experience between them. And VP of Player Health and Performance Tyler Williams and his staff have kept the Vikings healthy for most of the season.
McCarthy has sought to understand the intricacies of the offense and his rehabilitation. He wants to know where his eyes should be on each read and if he has aligned his body with his target. Similarly, he understands why players use infrared lights, ATP, and PEMF in recovery and what each therapy is doing to his body.
Ultimately, McCarthy’s daily actions connect him to something greater than himself. During his tape study, he’s learning Minnesota’s offense so he can maximize the talent around him. In recovery, McCarthy sets the ATP current to 7.83 hertz, the earth’s natural frequency. Similarly, he meditates while listening to sounds tuned to 963 hertz, also known as “the frequency of God.” In doing so, he is connected to the earth, a higher power, and the people around him daily.
“Once I started [meditating] over a period of time, I started experiencing the benefits,” he said. “And then, I’ll have a period of one week where I don’t do it, and then I experience how I feel without it. And now I won’t go a day without doing it.”
The Vikings drafted him to be their franchise quarterback. However, a freak injury sidelined him for the season, and Darnold has played well in his absence. Therefore, McCarthy is preparing to be Minnesota’s franchise quarterback, knowing he can’t play until next season and that they could trade him if Darnold continues to play well.
That may be overwhelming for some players, but McCarthy is prepared to occupy the space in between. Not because he happens to be there but because he seeks it out.
