Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has said that he considers fellow Michigan alum Tom Brady to be a mentor, but McCarthy is not about to give away any of the secrets the seven-time Super Bowl champion has shared with him.
The Vikings held joint practice with the New England Patriots on Thursday, which gave reporters an opportunity to ask McCarthy about his relationship with Brady. The second-year quarterback said he did not want to go into detail about what he has learned from Brady, but he did share a funny tidbit.
McCarthy says Brady taught him the importance of developing a weekly routine. Brady also told McCarthy that one of Brady’s regrets is that he did not hydrate more while in college.
JJ McCarthy says Tom Brady taught him the importance of developing a weekly routine and provided some pointers on how to do it.
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 14, 2025
McCarthy won’t share any of Brady’s secrets, but said Brady told him he wishes he had hydrated better while in college. pic.twitter.com/2mdqPySApV
Any pointers McCarthy got from Brady are probably useful. McCarthy is also smart to hoard as much of that information as he can, at least while he is just beginning his career.
McCarthy sat out his entire rookie season last year after he suffered a knee injury during the preseason. The Vikings traded up a spot to draft the former national champion 10th overall last year, and it became clear during the winter that they are still very high on him.
McCarthy is sure to experience some growing pains in his first season as an NFL starter. If he remains in contact with Brady, he will have that much easier of a time working through them.
