Don’t Overlook 1 Cool J.J. McCarthy Wrinkle
The Minnesota Vikings had to make a decision this offseason, and they ultimately opted to part ways with another capable starter after having to watch Kirk Cousins depart in the previous year. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his regime won that transaction, but the jury’s still out on whether letting Sam Darnold leave will be a success, too.
Don’t Overlook 1 Key J.J. McCarthy Wrinkle
J.J. McCarthy is the new sheriff in town, taking over from the 35-touchdown Pro Bowler Darnold, who has since signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Last year’s tenth overall pick had to watch his franchise compete without him for an entire season because of his unfortunate knee injury suffered in the preseason. That pause cost him the opportunity to challenge Darnold, but also valuable practice reps, and it’s easy to come to the conclusion that he’ll never get that time back and will always be a year behind.
Well, the good news is that one significant number doesn’t support that theory, and the NFL on CBS accounts on social media highlighted that: His age. McCarthy will be the only starter in Week 1 at the age of 22 (unless Giants rookie Jaxson Dart can unseat Russell Wilson, which certainly is a long shot).
McCarthy has the advantage that he entered the draft at the age of 21. In fact, he played in January’s national title game at the age of 20 and turned 21 years old on January 20 last year. He’s exactly 22 years and 163 days old.
Saints rookie Tyler Shough will turn 26 in September, first overall pick Cam Ward just turned 23, and fellow sophomore Bo Nix is 25.
There’s no doubt about it, injuries are never a “good” thing, but because of his young age, it might not have been as devastating as it could’ve been. The former Michigan passer has all the time in the world to develop and grow into the best version of himself, and his torn meniscus just paused his career, rather than derail it.
In Week 1, McCarthy will face the division rivals Chicago Bears and their potential franchise quarterback Caleb Williams. Last year’s first overall pick has gained some NFL experience in his rookie season, but he’s also about 14 months older.
In March, Kevin O’Connell suggested that McCarthy’s transition would go smoothly: “Yeah, heās not a rookie. Heās been able to have, you know, that pseudo redshirt year, albeit without the reps we have wanted, but Iām really confident, really excited to see him hit the ground running. Heās had a great offseason and canāt wait to get going with him.”
However, even if he doesn’t immediately appear to be a finished product, it’s worth noting that he’s the youngest starter in the NFL.
When the bullets start flying, McCarthy will have the benefit of playing in unusually good surroundings. Most young signal-callers enter flawed offenses or have shaky coaching staffs. McCarthy, however, will be guided by Coach of the Year O’Connell and long-time NFL QB Josh McCown. The offensive line looks like an elite unit on paper, and the receivers are traditionally excellent in the Twin Cities.
The Vikings are built to win now, but that depends on McCarthy’s growth. Through the offseason workouts, the reports are that he’s doing well. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported last month: “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 heās throwing the ball, they feel very comfortable with where heās at going into training camp.”
McCarthy will be the player to watch throughout training camp and the preseason. His first regular-season contest is scheduled for September 8.
Editorās Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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