Rumor Has It that J.J. McCarthy Got Better
The Minnesota Vikings have made the long-awaited QB swap this offseason. Despite the speculations and rumors ahead and during free agency, the club has stayed with the original plan and has opted to hand the keys to sophomore J.J. McCarthy.
Rumor Has It that J.J. McCarthy Got Better
The young passer is coming off a lost season due to his season-ending knee injury suffered in last year’s preseason. Although he is technically not a rookie anymore, the number of reps still puts him in that category, despite the mental reps he was able to take during his recovery.
This offseason has been a significant part of his learning experience, and he was once again able to showcase his skills in mandatory minicamp. Counting numbers like completions, touchdowns, and interceptions is useless at this time of the year, especially with head coach Kevin O’Connell always mentioning that those workouts are just part of the learning phase and players should take chances and test their limits.
Still, the decision-makers got a chance to evaluate how far McCarthy has come. Jeremy Fowler, ESPN analyst, gave us some intel, and he’s suggesting the Vikings are happy with the 22-year-old’s development.
“It was told to me that the Vikings feel like J.J. McCarthy, in day nine of these offseason workouts, was a lot stronger than day one. Coming off that knee issue, they knew he could start a little slowly but they like the way he’s throwing the ball, they feel very comfortable with where he’s at going into training camp. They didn’t sign [Aaron] Rodgers and went with McCarthy because they believe in their three-year plan: A young quarterback they like on a rookie scale, so they’ll be aggressive on the roster without him. They believe they can win a Super Bowl in the next three years.”
The Vikings allowed Sam Darnold to walk despite him only getting a glorified one-year deal from the Seattle Seahawks, Daniel Jones left for Indianapolis because he thought beating out Anthony Richardson was easier (the early results confirm that idea), and he opted against signing any big-time free agents. Aaron Rodgers remained a rumor, while more prominent options like Jameis Winston or Joe Flacco were pushed aside for Sam Howell.
McCarthy has 12 weeks remaining until the scheduled first start of his NFL career at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears with new head coach Ben Johnson.
His most significant advantage is that O’Connell is in his corner, who has squeezed every ounce of talent out of his quarterbacks. Darnold was headed for career backup duties prior to his work in KOC’s QB school. Josh Dobbs has gotten back-to-back QB2 gigs because of his two-week run in Minnesota, and Kirk Cousins got a ridiculous contract from the Falcons despite a torn Achilles because he played at an MVP level before his injury.
Another positive is that Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will be among his targets with T.J. Hockenson roaming in the middle of the field. The improved offensive line helps, too.
Jefferson said about his new passer, “[Our connection] grew a lot just being around, talking with him, picking his brain on different things and, really, just [reminding him] that I’m here … to conversate about different things he sees on the field, and I’m also there for him off the field, as well. Just being a guy that understands his position, understands that he has a lot going on. So, it definitely was great to be around him during these OTA sessions.”
McCarthy, 22, will continue to be the main talker for the Minnesota Vikings. Fowler’s report is just another reason for optimism.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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