While Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy wasn't able to play his rookie year due to a knee injury, he's said that he's fully recovered as the club continues its offseason program.

McCarthy spoke to the media on Tuesday and made clear what he feels his role should be entering Year 2.

"I know I’m ready to start," McCarthy said in his press conference. "And I appreciate that question."

How does he know that?

"Because all the work that I put in and just the confidence in my skills and abilities," McCarthy said. "And just being able to do my job and simplify things to the best of my ability every single day. And just taking it one day at a time, one play at a time. I have a tremendous coaching staff, a tremendous group of guys around me that I can lean on and they can lean on me."

McCarthy played just one preseason game before figuring out he'd be sidelined for the rest of the season. But he learned plenty sitting behind Sam Darnold as the Vikings went 14-3 before falling to the Rams in the wild card round.

While there is inherent pressure in being a starting quarterback, it can be amplified by the team trading up to get McCarthy last year. Plus, the Vikings had other options in the QB market aside from just sticking with the young signal-caller out of Michigan.

But McCarthy is embracing all being an NFL quarterback entails.

“Personally, I think the more pressure the better for me. That’s something I thrive off of,” McCarthy said. "They always say the cliché, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ But that’s something that you sign up for when you play in the National Football League, especially at the quarterback position. I feel like pressure, all it does is bring out what’s inside of you. And I feel pretty good about what’s inside of me. And the more pressure the better, honestly.

“I’ve always felt like ever since I was a kid, just any competitive environment I was in, I felt like I was at home,” McCarthy later added. “And obviously, playing at Michigan [where] there’s 110,000 [fans] and you’re one of the most prominent universities out there, I feel like that’s where I feel most comfortable, when the lights are the brightest, the stage is the biggest stage out there. And, yeah, I know there’s going to be a lot more of that to come.”