Vikings’ Words of Patience Regarding J.J. McCarthy Ring True at Start of OTAs
The Minnesota Vikings have to figure out their starting QB situation following the departure of Kirk Cousins in free agency.
Of course, Minnesota drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in this spring’s draft, and he is the Vikings’ hopeful “QB of the future.” The first opportunity to see McCarthy practice with the full team occurred this week at OTAs, and while it appears that the rookie QB has had some solid throwing sessions, the Vikings are being sure to ease McCarthy into the offense.
“McCarthy went 7-for-8 in seven-on-seven and 9-for-10 in teamwork, but he was paired with 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall in throwing to primarily backup receivers during team drills. Veterans Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens worked with the starters,” Judd Zulgad wrote on VikingsWire this week.
The Vikings’ Plan for Patience with J.J. McCarthy
So, early on, it seems that the Vikings are putting their plan for patience into practice for McCarthy as he spent the majority of the early OTA session working as QB3. This should not come as a surprise given what both head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have said following the draft selection of their new QB.
Adofo-Mensah alluded to this idea of patience immediately after the draft selection, in part because the Vikings also have a starter-ready QB in Sam Darnold. “Sam, we think is going to play really good football for us this year, and so we can be patient, work on the things we need to work on. J.J.’s super young, and we know that, and so we’re gonna pour into him, get him to his 10,000 hours, and we’re just excited about that room,” the GM explained on draft night.
Darnold is a perfect example of why that patience could pay off. When he was selected third overall by the New York Jets in 2018, patience was not a luxury the Jets could afford at the QB position. They had just come off a 5-11 season with Josh McCown as their starter, and they needed to put together a plan for not only the future, but the present at the position.
As a result, Darnold was thrust into the Week 1 starting lineup in 2018 as a player who had just turned 21 years old on June 5th of that year. On top of that, he had to deal with a less than ideal offensive line and a receiving group that was led by Robbie Chosen.
Darnold was thrown into a situation that was destined to fail from the start, and sure enough, it did. The QB spent just three years with the Jets before heading to the Carolina Panthers in 2021 where again he was thrown into an impossible situation with a team that had gone 5-11 with Teddy Bridgewater as their starter the previous year.
Of course, the Vikings are in a much better spot for a young QB to find immediate success with Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson as their featured wide receivers, T.J. Hockenson at tight end, and a pair of standout offensive tackles.
Ultimately, though, the Vikings are intent on ensuring McCarthy is fully prepared for his first live snaps at the NFL level. This could mean that the rookie doesn’t play at all during the 2024 season, but in the end, it could be the best route for his development.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.