The Minnesota Vikings flirted with the idea of signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers months before he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in early June.
Minnesota is now moving forward with 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy atop the depth chart after he spent his rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair he needed last summer.
For an article published on Monday, Vikings reporter Alec Lewis of The Athletic touched upon how McCarthy performed during springtime workouts amid rumors regarding how Minnesota could potentially add to its quarterback room later this year.
"The Vikings weren’t babying J.J. McCarthy this spring," Lewis wrote. "He may have been coming off of a torn meniscus, and he may only be in his second season, but Minnesota’s staff made the tests difficult. McCarthy received lengthy call sheets before practices. He was responsible for calls at the line of scrimmage. He was not at all chastised for mistakes, but the seriousness of each rep seemed evident."
Understandably, head coach Kevin O’Connell and his coaching staff want to speed up McCarthy's development as much as possible. Last season, Sam Darnold won 14 of 16 starts as Minnesota's QB1 before he produced poor outings in Week 18 and a wild-card playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Per Pro Football Reference, Darnold finished the 2024 regular season ranked fifth in the league with 4,319 passing yards, fifth with 35 touchdown passes and sixth among qualified quarterbacks with a 102.5 passer rating.
For a different piece posted on Monday, Lewis mentioned that unsigned veteran Ryan Tannehill could be an option for the Vikings this summer or fall if McCarthy either leaves much to be desired with his play or suffers some sort of setback. Interestingly, Lewis also pointed out that acquiring Kirk Cousins from the Atlanta Falcons could be a "break-glass-in-case-of-emergency possibility" for Minnesota.
Cousins played well under O'Connell from September 2022 up until the 36-year-old suffered a torn Achilles in October 2023. Cousins lost the Atlanta starting job to 2024 first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. this past December, but the veteran may decide after training-camp practices get underway in late July to serve as Penix's primary backup through the upcoming campaign.
"McCarthy didn’t float perfectly through the weeks, but a steady stream of growth imprinted on the staffers monitoring him every day," Lewis added on Monday. "He threw the ball with accuracy. His arm strength stood out. His ability to layer different throws continues to be the priority physically. However, the mental challenges of the spring became the most important. The team’s hope is that making it as hard as it’s been over the past few months will supercharge growth come training camp and the season."
One wonders when McCarthy will have to show the desired level of growth to keep the Vikings from calling the Falcons about a possible trade for Cousins.
