Robert Griffin III On What Impresses Him Most About Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy: ‘Leadership’

Robert Griffin III is really impressed by J.J. McCarthy’s leadership.

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback garnered headlines by bouncing back from a rough first half and a few miscues to lead the Vikings to a 27-24 victory over the Chicago Bears. Minnesota trailed by 10 points midway through the fourth quarter.

McCarthy displayed poise and moxie despite throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown earlier in the game.

“I don’t know if there’s a great comparison for J.J. McCarthy at quarterback,” says Griffin when asked if there’s a player comparison he has for McCarthy. “The way that he turned it around in the fourth quarter, you heard a lot of people talking about the moxie that he had. But really, it’s just leadership. He throws a pick-six, comes back, tells everybody, ‘Don’t worry, I got you. That’s on me. I’m going to make it happen.’ And then goes and makes it happen. I think that’s his confidence.”

The 22-year-old was making his first career start after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. His stat line wasn’t pretty — 13-of-20 for 143 yards, two touchdowns and one interception — but his play late in the game is what captured everyone’s attention. It’s worth noting that McCarthy is a proven winner at all levels, having won a national championship after losing just one game with the Michigan Wolverines. He also won a national championship with IMG Academy in high school.

Robert Griffin III: Kevin O’Connell Is Confident In J.J. McCarthy

“I think that’s Kevin O’Connell’s confidence in him,” says Griffin of McCarthy. “The guy’s a winner, national champion. He’s always done what is asked of him, and I always believed with him coming out, that he could be a better pro quarterback than he was a college quarterback. In the NFL, they’re going to ask you to do a couple more things, and his talents weren’t fully asked of him while he was at Michigan. He showed you that he can run the ball, and he does have that complete trait. He showed you that he can throw with timing and anticipation, and he showed off the arm.”

Griffin III — who is a former Heisman Trophy winner and Offensive Rookie of the Year — says we need to wait a full year before we start making player comparisons for the first-year quarterback.

“I’m excited for JJ McCarthy,” says Griffin. “I don’t think I have a comp for him right now. He needs to play, I think he needs to play a full season before we can start making comparisons.”

The Vikings are already coming off of one of the seasons by an NFL team. They went 14-3 last season with Sam Darnold at quarterback and have a plethora of offensive options in Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, T.J. Hockenson and Adam Thielen. That’s not even mentioning Jordan Addison, who is currently serving a three-game suspension.

That loaded arsenal of offensive weapons combined with more experience makes the Vikings a very dangerous team as the season continues to move forward.

“Any quarterback that’s getting a chance to throw to Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones is very, very happy,” says Griffin of McCarthy. “Then imagine what it’s going to look like when they get Addison back. The Vikings are looking up right now.”

Robert Griffin III Details “Positive Steps” With USAA And How He’s Giving Back To The Community

Griffin — who currently serves as an analyst for Fox Sports — recently partnered up with USAA for their “Positive Steps” campaign. The 35-year-old comes from a military family himself, having been born in Japan when both of his parents (who were U.S. Army sergeants — were stationed.

The former Washington Commanders quarterback has been partnered with USAA for 15 years, dating back to his college days with the Baylor Bears.

“This is something that is a concerted effort by us to continue to give back to the community,” says Griffin of the Positive Steps campaign. “With the USAA Positive Steps campaign being here in downtown Norfolk, unveiling the USAA Positive Steps staircase really is just us trying to take positive steps towards helping people live better lives.

“Whether it be with their health, whether it be with financial literacy, and most importantly, giving back from the community,” Griffin continues to say. “We want the young students that we went to go see over at the Junior Achievement at the Rutherford School to understand when they make it, you have to come back and give back to the communities that propped you up and gave you the opportunities that you ultimately made the most of.”

Griffin talked to the students about various topics such as time management and financial management. This is his way of giving back to the community in a “positive” manner.

He details how coming from a family with a military background is what shaped him into the man that he is today.

“Me being a military brat is what we call the kids of military members in our community,” says Griffin. My parents both serving in the army. My dad doing 21 years, my mom doing 13 (years). Military families get forgotten, and to me, it’s one of the saddest things in America, because our military members are literally sacrificing their lives and putting other people’s families before their own because they don’t get to go to all the birthdays, and they don’t get to go to all the games, and they don’t get to spend all the time with their spouses.

“A lot of them are in conflict zones or spread out across the world and across the United States, preparing to defend us and defending our freedoms,” Griffin continues to say of the sacrifices our service members make. “Any chance I get to give back to the military community, I make sure I do it, and USAA has provided the platform jointly with my own to really make a big impact. That’s important to me, it’s important to my family, and I know it’s important to military families to know that they’re not forgotten and the sacrifices that they are making are not done in vain.”