Vikings Owner Is a Big Fan of the New QB
On Wednesday, the annual NFL owners meeting took place in Minneapolis. It’s the 20th anniversary of the Wilf family’s ownership of the Minnesota Vikings. At the meeting, the competition committee decided to keep the tush push in play, and Detroit’s new playoff proposal was not implemented either.
Vikings Owner Is a Big Fan of the New QB
Owner Mark Wilf joined Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen in an interview, and, among other things, he was asked about the new quarterback of his football team.
Wilf’s response is just fantastic for anyone who can’t wait to see J.J. McCarthy in action: “He has a gravitational pull as a leader. He really does, the way the players support him. The talent is there. Coach O’Connell is glowing in his praises of how he’s handled everything, and from an off-the-field perspective, we couldn’t be happier. So all things are pointing in the right direction, and we’re going to be supporting J.J. to have him be the success we want him to be.”
McCarthy was drafted about 13 months ago, joining a club that hasn’t had a real homegrown quarterback in a decade, with Teddy Bridgewater being the last notable one. He came to Minnesota with a national championship in his pocket, endorsed by many, including his coach at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh.
In addition to those things, of course, the Vikings were looking at his physical tools and were sold enough to trade up from 11 to 10 to select the highest-drafted quarterback in franchise history.
Early in his Vikings tenure, McCarthy proved to be as advertised, quickly earning praise for his leadership.
Linebacker Blake Cashman revealed last July, just over two months after the young passer was drafted: “Twenty-one years old but a great young man. He is a leader; he is eager to learn. A lot of young guys, sometimes, can come in and be a little timid or shy, but he is walking around the locker room, big smile on his face, shaking hands, getting to know everybody.”
On the football side, McCarthy possesses the mobility and the arm strength to be a fun player to watch. His arm, especially, turned some heads early in his career. Last offseason, reporters and teammates praised him various times. However, we’ll focus on T.J. Hockenson’s words from just a couple of weeks ago.
“His arm talent is there. He’s got a sick arm. I remember catching passes from [Stafford], and it was one of those balls where it just zips on ya,” Hockenson said. “It looks like it’s not coming, but it’s coming. And J.J.’s got the juice behind it where it kind of has that effect. … He’s got insane arm talent, and really the personality that he has goes really well, and I think he’s gonna have a long career.”
None of that matters if it doesn’t translate to the NFL field, and so far, we haven’t seen much from the Michigan product. McCarthy’s only game action came in last year’s preseason, where he played a phenomenal third quarter but struggled in the second. Two days later, the Vikings were forced to shut him down for the 2024 season, and we haven’t seen him since.
His next milestone will be OTAs, where he is expected to step into the QB1 role. In training camp and the preseason in August, we’ll get a better understanding of how far he has come in his development.
Until then, he remains a mystery, although the comments from teammates, coaches, and even the owner are certainly a good sign.