J.J. McCarthy “Absolutely” Could Start in Week 1, Insider Says
Matthew Davis
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While the Minnesota Vikings signed veteran quarterback Sam Darnold as a potential bridge quarterback this offseason, he clearly isn’t Plan A based on ESPN insider Jeff Darlington’s comments.
Darlington told ESPN’s Mike Greenberg that the Vikings “absolutely” plan to start No. 10 draft pick and quarterback J.J. McCarthy by Week 1 of the season. The Vikings moved up in the draft to take the former Michigan star and national champion as a franchise quarterback to replace Kirk Cousins.
“It isn’t just about his ability,” Darlington said about McCarthy. “It’s about the fact that this is a guy who is going into a situation where Kevin O’Connell […] has a very specific plan in place for J.J. McCarthy.”
“He’s surrounded by coaches who are completely invested in making sure he gets the proper development. They do have Sam Darnold available if McCarthy isn’t ready,” Darlington added. “I just think that the expedited process of his development is going to be such that he will be ready for Week 1.”
J.J. McCarthy Enters Strong Situation with Vikings
O’Connell knows what he’s doing with quarterbacks. From day one in the NFL as a player, he competed behind Tom Brady with the New England Patriots in 2008. O’Connell’s coaching career has consisted of three seasons as a quarterbacks coach and then a stint as offensive coordinator under head coach Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams.
In addition, O’Connell and company don’t need McCarthy to do everything. The Vikings still have superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson plus fellow wideout Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Running backs Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler should give McCarthy adequate support in the running game. The Vikings offensive line ranked 12th last season in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, and Minnesota will keep that unit together for 2024.
That’s all more than adequate for McCarthy to step in and run the offense but not need to take over the game to earn Ws this year. It fits in with what he did at Michigan where he led the Wolverines to a 28-1 mark over the past two years but didn’t have to do everything with a stacked offense around him.
Vikings Could See QB Competition at Training Camp
Internal competition could become the X factor for whether or not McCarthy starts. Darnold, a former No. 3 pick in 2018, left the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers to find a starting job. If Darnold continues to change the trajectory of his career, the Vikings could see a legitimate quarterback battle in August.
Darnold just came off of the best situation in his career working under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and working with Super Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy. When Darnold played, he looked viable as he completed 60.9% of his passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns versus one interception. Most of that came in a Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Rams where backups mainly played for both teams.
The veteran now enters a situation with the Vikings that features a significantly better situation than the first two teams of his career and could rival the 49ers on some levels. Darnold first landed with the New York Jets in 2018 where he couldn’t turn around the franchise under former head coach Todd Bowles. In three seasons, Darnold never threw for 20 touchdowns, and he only eclipsed 3,000 yards once.
New York traded away Darnold to the Carolina Panthers in 2021, and things only got worse for Darnold with another struggling franchise. He never threw for 10 touchdowns or passed 2,600 yards in his two seasons there before the Panthers turned to Bryce Young in the 2023 draft.
Whether or not Darnold has truly turned the corner from a tumultuous start remains unknown. The 49ers at the very least banked on Darnold as the backup behind Purdy and traded former No. 3 draft pick Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in the process.
If Darnold makes it a viable competition in Vikings training camp, Minnesota at the very least has an opportunity to trade a valuable player to a quarterback-needy team in August.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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