It’s been one heck of a week for J.J. McCarthy. First, in his debut NFL start, McCarthy rallied the Minnesota Vikings to a fourth-quarter win (27-24) after trailing the Chicago Bears for most of the Monday Night Football matchup. Then, he and his fiancée, Katya Kuropas, welcomed a baby boy into the world.
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It was actually revealed on Thursday that while McCarthy reported to the team facility, he was only there briefly. Before practice, he had asked head coach Kevin O’Connell if he could leave early. McCarthy just wanted to be with his fiancée at the hospital.
The couple then announced the happy news, the birth of Rome Micah McCarthy on Friday, and the QB was back at practice soon after. So, the timing wasn’t quite ideal for the new dad, but he got to witness the birth, and that’s what matters most. Fans, meanwhile, got to enjoy a few homecoming snaps of the budding family that were about as wholesome as it gets.
Kuropas had already shared a few snaps of the baby from the hospital bed shortly after his birth. The latest pictures were then posted on her and McCarthy’s dogs’ Instagram page.
The couple has two pups: a Golden Retriever named Marley, who’s McCarthy’s therapy dog, and a Bernese Mountain Dog named Rocky. The first photo on Marley and Rocky’s page showed them being good boys that they are, sitting upright with their tongues out, looking happy as they welcomed Rome to his forever home. A few more shots captured the two taking in the new family member.
Kuropas reshared the carousel on her Instagram story with the caption, “All 3 of my babies.”
Katya Kuropas, fiancée of JJ McCarthy, shares photos of their baby's homecoming ❤️ pic.twitter.com/461NjR9xce
— Depressed Eagles Fan (@nfl_rocky) September 13, 2025
Fans seem to really like the name of McCarthy’s baby boy, Rome. McCarthy and Kuropas first shared the news of their pregnancy back in May, about a year after getting engaged.
Kuropas recently shared that at birth, Rome weighed 8.7 pounds and measured 21 inches long. Looks like we’ve got a future athlete in the making.