JJ McCarthy marries high school sweetheart after Vikings draft and injury setback
Congratulations are in order for Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy and his fiancée, Katya Kuropas. The longtime couple tied the knot at the luxury Zadun Los Cabos Ritz-Carlton on April 11, as seen in a joint Instagram carousel post. Their wedding ceremony took place outside at the oceanfront resort, where white and pink roses surrounded the aisle and the alter. One image showed the newlyweds kissing their son Micah's face after they said "I do." They announced the birth of their first child last September. McCarthy and Kuropas, who began dating when they both were in high school at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Ill., got engaged in January 2024. He proposed just two weeks after he led Michigan to a national title in his final collegiate season. McCarthy, the Vikings' No. 10 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, is enjoying his offseason before he'll embark on a competition with free agent acquisition Kyler Murray for the starting quarterback role. The former Cardinals signal-caller signed a one-year contract on March 13 after McCarthy's injury-filled 2025 campaign. Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine that there would be an emphasis on the quarterback position this offseason. "What we do know is we need a level of baseline quarterback play for us to be effective," Brzezinski said in late February. "A lot of this has been J.J. in unfortunate [situations] with some of the injuries and things that he's dealt with, but we're going to explore every opportunity, and I don't think there's anything specifically we're looking for. We can't manufacture anything that's not there. So, No. 1, what are the options? Is it reciprocal? Is it financially doable? All those things. There's just a lot of factors that go into it." Brzezinski took over personnel decisions after the Vikings fired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Jan. 30. Minnesota also selected former Michigan fullback/tight end hybrid player, Max Bredeson, in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, setting up a reunion with McCarthy after they won a national title together. "FOX HOLE GUY," McCarthy wrote in an X post after Minnesota drafted Bredeson. "LFG."
