The Minnesota Vikings are moving forward with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback — but there are many questions imminent at quarterback.
What if the 22-year-old quarterback is struck by an unfortunate injury again? More realistically, what if McCarthy does not perform up to expectations during the team’s offseason activities?
Head coach Kevin O’Connell, a self-proclaimed “quarterback killer,” is not eager to rush a young quarterback into action if they are not ready.
“I just think as a whole, there’s not enough emphasis put on the organization’s role in the development of the position, meaning I believe that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations,” O’Connell told Rich Eisen last year.
All these potentials are the exact reason Aaron Rodgers has not made a decision on the upcoming season yet.
“There’s some teams I’ve talked to, they are still kind of wondering, like, is he just waiting out the Vikings, you know? Because the Vikings would be an ideal scenario, one of the best play callers in the league in head coach Kevin O’Connell, nine dome games, you’re guaranteed nine dome games per year,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said in a May 21 appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“There’s some element of that, but I checked in with the Vikings, I still don’t expect that. They’re moving forward with J.J. McCarthy. So he really has no other option, other than Pittsburgh or retiring.”
With Vikings organized team activities (OTAs) starting next week, McCarthy will be under a microscope.
Vikings Owner Speaks on McCarthy’s ‘Gravitational Pull’
While McCarthy has yet to prove his prowess in an NFL regular-season game, the young quarterback has left a lasting impression with his mentality off the field.
“He has a gravitational pull as a leader. He really does,” owner Mark Wilf told KFAN’s Paul Allen.
“I think the way the players support him, I think, of course, the talent is there. Coach (Kevin) O’Connell is glowing in his praises of how he’s handled everything to date, and from an off-the-field perspective, we couldn’t be happier, so all the things are pointing in the right direction and we are going to be supporting J.J. to have him be the success we want him to be.”
Former Vikings Leader Cam Bynum Echoes Vikings’ Confidence in McCarthy
Wilf’s comments aren’t the typical boilerplate leadership messages touted by team officials. They feel genuine, and that makes a difference.
McCarthy’s perseverance through his injury is notable. Many players who are shut down for a season rarely interact with their teammates. They’re shuttered in from larger team practices and left with only trainers and other injured players.
Not McCarthy.
Former Vikings starting safety Cam Bynum, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts in March, spoke on McCarthy’s intangibles that make him a special player who is capable of handling adversity — which is tantamount to success in the NFL.
“I know he’s ready to go,” Bynum said on Up & Adams. “The fact that he had a season-ending injury in preseason and we still saw him every day, that says something in itself. You can tear your meniscus and it be a full season injury and it’s fine, it’s normal to not see (that person) the rest of the year unless you go look in the training room at some random hour of the day and see him in there. The fact that he was still in meetings, he was still bothering us defensive players, asking ‘what coverage were you guys in here, what would you guys do in this play in the game?’ Those are the conversations that I had with J.J. going through the season, he’s just coming up to me. Dude, it’s November, and he’s talking about next year like ‘bro, I’m so ready for this offense.’
“That’s somebody I respect and I know that he’ll be able to get the job done. I think they’re in good hands having him there. Regardless of what happens, I know he’s gonna figure it out and thrive in any situation he’ll be in.”
