When the Minnesota Vikings decided to let Kirk Cousins walk in free agency to sign with the Atlanta Falcons and draft Michigan’s JJ McCarthy 10th overall, it signaled a franchise-altering era for the team.
While Kevin O’Connell and his coaching staff have been consistent in their approach and preach patience for the rookie, fans will be eager to see the 21-year-old signal caller on the field sooner rather than later, especially after they saw him make some highlight-level throws early on in training camp this past week.
O’Connell has made it clear that for him to feel confident in placing McCarthy on the field, he needs to be able to hit specific benchmarks throughout the off-season and in practice to give him the best chance to succeed on Sundays. That being said, the NFL season is ever unpredictable, as the Vikings learned a year ago with the quarterback carousel they faced last season. There is a world where McCarthy sees the field before the team initially expected.
After the quarterback roller coaster, the franchise went on last season, the last thing that needs to be on their minds is another injury ruining the teams’ plans. Sam Darnold is the presumed Week One starter. While Darnold has been a healthy player as a starter in the league, injuries happen, and there is a scenario where Darnold gets hurt, and the Vikings turn to McCarthy to lead the offense.
If an injury were to happen, when it occurs would potentially determine McCarthy’s playing time. If Darnold were to get hurt early in the season, the coaching staff could turn to whoever the third quarterback on the roster is at the time, whether that is veteran Nick Mullens or second-year quarterback Jaren Hall, allowing McCarthy to keep developing before seeing game time.
On the flip side, if a Darnold injury were to happen later in the season, the Vikings could trot McCarthy out to give him some experience and gauge where his game-time level play is.
McCarthy develops quicker than anticipated
While patience has been the number one focus for the Vikings coaching staff, if McCarthy develops quicker than the staff anticipates and becomes ready for action, unless Sam Darnold has the Vikings in prime playoff positioning, it would be hard for the team not to play the rookie.
Training camp just started and JJ McCarthy is already a problem for the 1st-team defense.
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) July 30, 2024
Sam Darnold’s days as QB1 are numbered.pic.twitter.com/idFQ2pmsyu
This team will be McCarthy’s, so he will be put on the field when he is ready to play. While many expect McCarthy to sit out for the majority of the season while continuing to learn the nuances of the Vikings offense, if he progresses quickly and meets the benchmarks that head coach Kevin O’Connell sets for him, expect McCarthy to see the field.
The Vikings fall out of playoff contention
While not many are expecting the Vikings to make the post-season this year, and rightfully so, given the amount of this roster that has been turned over the last few seasons by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his staff, the team is expected to remain competitively in the hunt this season.
Sam Darnold, a player who has shown flashes of brilliance during his tenure in the NFL, has never had an offense with this much talent surrounding him, so the offense is expected to produce at a high level. Brian Flores turned this defense around when he took over as defensive coordinator last season, so this unit will likely be among the league's top half.
That being said, if the Vikings are eliminated from playoff contention in the second half of the year, McCarthy could take over the offense to get a feel for the NFL's speed and get live reps against opposing defense if O’Connell views it as beneficial to the young quarterback's development.
This is an exciting time for Vikings fans. The franchise hadn’t taken a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2014 when they selected Teddy Bridgewater 32nd overall, but McCarthy feels different for this team. The excitement and buzz around this young player is electrifying. Still, the Vikings front office and coaching staff mustn't make emotional decisions regarding McCarthy’s career and ultimate success with the franchise.
Fans want to see the player on the field but also want to see the team succeed. For that to happen, patience might be the best option for all involved.
