The Minnesota Vikings made seven selections in the 2024 NFL Draft and have signed five of them to contracts. The only two that remain unsigned currently are their first-round picks: quarterback J.J. McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner.
It's not completely uncommon for first-round picks to remain unsigned less than two weeks before teams report to training camp. It is more uncommon now than it was before the rookie wage scale was ratified into the new collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011.
J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner remain unsigned
As of Friday morning July 12th, only five first-round picks remain unsigned with two of them being quarterbacks
- Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams (1st overall)
- Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze (9th overall)
- Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (10th overall)
- Minnesota Vikings EDGE Dallas Turner (17th overall)
- Cincinnati Bengals OT Amarius Mims (18th overall)
The unique aspect of the five players that remain unsigned is that two of the three teams with multiple first-round picks have signed neither of their first-round picks. That could be due to multiple factors but the most likely one is they both drafted quarterbacks.
About a month ago, I wrote about a possible McCarthy holdout because it was being discussed across social media. There are reasons for a player to hold out with the rookie wage scale with the main ones being offset language and payout structure of the signing bonus.
The Vikings haven't paid out the entire signing bonus at once before. That doesn't necessarily mean much, as they had never fully guaranteed a three-year contract (Kirk Cousins), they hadn't guaranteed salary into year two of the extension (T.J. Hockenson) and they instituted a paradigm shift with the Justin Jefferson extension.
There are reasons for the Vikings to avoid doing so. The Henry Ruggs and Jeff Gladney situations where an alleged egregious act off the field happens and you attempt to void the signing bonus. If the entire bonus hasn't been paid, you don't have to ask for it back, it doesn't get paid when the player's contract gets voided for cause.
Is it time to panic?
Are we approaching panic mode with McCarthy and Turner not having signed contracts? It's a real concern because they cannot practice without a contract during training camp. They can during minicamp and OTAs but training camp is for rostered players only.
If McCarthy isn't able to practice during any portion of training camp, it isn't good. You want him to get as many reps as possible as training camp is a peak time of development for any rookie. If he does miss time, that doesn't mean he's in trouble. It's more likely that he doesn't play during his rookie season or has to wait to get in the game. That will be an issue for a good portion of the fanbase.
From the time this is published, the Vikings still have nine days to get McCarthy and Turner signed. Panicking isn't the right word yet, but it's getting a lot closer to that point and that's worrisome.
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