There’s a New Spicy J.J. McCarthy Rumor
In the 2024 offseason, the Chicago Bears landed the first overall pick via trade. The Carolina Panthers, who certainly had regretted trading the farm for top pick Bryce Young by then, had to ship their pricey first overall pick to the NFC North franchise.
There’s a New Spicy J.J. McCarthy Rumor
With months, if not years, of advance notice, everyone knew the commissioner would call the name of Caleb Williams, although other notable players in that draft included Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. He went second and quickly established himself as a premier NFL talent.
The Vikings landed J.J. McCarthy tenth overall following a slight trade-up. His rookie season didn’t go as planned due to a torn meniscus suffered in the preseason, but everyone is excited to see the young passer in action. He’ll be the obvious focal point in training camp and the preseason.
In the draft, some former coaches were already calling him the next big thing, and some media members thought he shouldn’t be a first-rounder in the first place. This week, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported that he was closer to being the top pick in that draft than most expected.
Lewis talked to quarterback coach Greg Holcomb, who tried to teach Minnesota’s passer a thing or two. The coach revealed that he spoke with Bears GM Ryan Poles after the draft and shared some nuggets.
“[Poles] was talking about how much they loved J.J.,” Holcomb is quoted, “And said to me, ‘I don’t think people realize how close we were to possibly taking him.’ Obviously, they love Caleb, but I thought that was interesting.”
Imagine how that would’ve gone down: McCarthy as the top pick, and everyone laughed about the Bears. Williams would’ve probably gone second, unless the Commanders were truly convinced they could pass on a guy viewed as generational (although that word is certainly used too lightly nowadays). The Vikings might have ended up with Drake Maye, who they reportedly liked a lot.
We’re unlikely to ever have Holcomb’s quote truly verified by anyone within the Bears’ building, but it remains fascinating nonetheless. And it is already the third bombshell concerning the Bears and the Vikings this offseason.
The first one was the rumored trade idea the Bears had. Instead of finding a new head coach, why not just trade for the obvious Coach of the Year candidate at that time? Kevin O’Connell ended up extending his deal, and the Bears hired Ben Johnson.
The second one was a major rumble earlier this offseason when it was revealed that Williams would’ve loved to play for the Vikings, and he and his family even pondered facilitating a coup to avoid being drafted by the Bears. Ultimately, he accepted his fate, but his fears about a tumultuous ride surely came true in his rookie season.
Williams hopes to improve in year two behind a fixed offensive line and a new offensive mind calling the shots and building a new scheme around him. McCarthy, meanwhile, is put in one of the best infrastructures the NFL has to offer with a mastermind play-caller and QB mentor, weapons all over the place, and a decent offensive line.
All of that talk will come to life in September when the Vikings open their season in Chicago’s Soldier Field. It’ll be McCarthy’s first NFL game and the first of many bouts between McCarthy and Williams. Minnesota’s QB1 can immediately show the Bears that they should’ve, indeed, picked him.
We have about seven more weeks to go.