Final Two Vikings Seal the Deal
The Minnesota Vikings enter the journey of their 2024 season on Sunday when the rookies are scheduled to report for the annual training camp at TCO Performance Center in Eagan. In the upcoming weeks, the development of the rookies will play a pivotal role in Skol Nation.
Final Two Vikings Seal the Deal
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had a splashy draft this year when he traded up twice in the first round to acquire quarterback J.J. McCarthy and pass rusher Dallas Turner.
The duo had been in the news recently because neither had signed his rookie contract. That, of course, led to some speculation about potential holdouts and missed time in training camp. On Sunday, however, the Vikings buried those theories, as both standout first-year players have signed their deals, the franchise announced.
The holdup might have been related to when the signing bonus would be paid and some offset language in the contracts. However, it should be noted that Andrew Booth and Ed Ingram signed at the beginning of training camp in 2022, and so did Justin Jefferson in 2020.
Both rookies could play significant roles in their debut season, although the road to those roles is different.
The Vikings selected McCarthy to be the quarterback of the future. He will compete with Sam Darnold in training camp, but there’s a good chance the veteran will be the Week 1 starter. The Vikings have made it very clear since the draft that their shiny rookie will not be thrown into the fire until he can handle it.
On Friday, during an appearance on KFAN’s Power Trip Morning Show, head coach Kevin O’Connell voiced how excited he is to finally see the rookie in action: “I’m really, really excited about where he’s gonna go, my hope is he’s the Minnesota Vikings quarterback for a really long time. He’s doing everything in his power; I’m sure he’s going to have a great training camp. It’s going to be competitive with him and Sam [Darnold], and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Conversely, Turner is playing at a position that heavily relies on rotation. Teams try to keep their pass rushers fresh to increase efficiency, so he will likely share snaps with Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard regardless of the starting job.
Van Ginkel is in the final stages of recovering from a lisfranc injury suffered late in the 2023 season. The former Dolphin might be limited early in training camp, which could be a fascinating opportunity for Turner to compete against the first-team offensive tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, which will really shed light on his talent level. A big role early in 2024 isn’t guaranteed but easily achievable.
The remaining rookies have signed their contracts earlier in the offseason. Late fan favorite Khyree Jackson signed in May, but his journey tragically ended two weeks ago.
Perhaps the most impactful player of the rookie class (besides the first-rounders) is kicker Will Reichard. He will compete with John Parker Romo for the opportunity to fix the haunted kicking job.
Offensive linemen Walter Rouse and Michael Jurgens aren’t expected to see the field in their first seasons, barring massive injury problems. Defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez has an easy path to earn snaps, although the expectations for a seventh-rounder should be lowered.
The rookies will get their first opportunity to play in a preseason game versus the Las Vegas Raiders on August 10. Their first regular season contest will be played on September 8 in a road game against the New York Giants.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt