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Will JJ McCarthy Start for Vikings? HC Kevin O’Connell Reveals Stance on QB Choice Ahead of 2024 NFL Season
According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is not yet ready to play with JJ McCarthy in the upcoming season.
Since Kirk Cousins' departure, the Minnesota Vikings have been searching for a permanent quarterback. They selected former Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy as a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While many believe McCarthy will be the Vikings' long-term solution, it remains uncertain whether he will start this season or if the team will go with veteran Sam Darnold. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell recently shared some insights on the situation.
Kevin Seifert provides clarity on J.J. McCarthy.
For the first time since 2018, the Minnesota Vikings will have a new starting quarterback in Week 1 against the New York Giants. The Vikings signed veteran Sam Darnold, the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, and selected J.J. McCarthy as the tenth overall pick this spring.
During an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter on Monday, Kevin Seifert of ESPN mentioned that Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell's assessment of McCarthy's readiness to start is based on the rookie's football maturity. Seifert explained, "How will you know when J.J. McCarthy is ready? What O'Connell told me last summer is that he’ll know McCarthy is ready when the obstacles he currently faces as an NFL quarterback are not worsened by his inexperience."
Currently, McCarthy is considered the Vikings' second-best quarterback, with Darnold holding the top spot due to his six years of NFL experience. McCarthy, who threw for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns with only four interceptions and a 72.3 percent completion rate in his final season at Michigan, is expected to start at some point, but it is unlikely to be in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.
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The Quarterback Competition at the Training Camp
The Minnesota Vikings are approaching a new era under center, with veteran Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy entering training camp as the two biggest names in the quarterback room.
McCarthy arrived at Vikings training camp in Eagan, Minnesota, on Monday, along with the rest of the team's rookie class. Minnesota will most likely take its time grooming McCarthy, who is only 21 years old and entering his first training camp.
Darnold, on the other hand, is entering his eighth NFL season after being drafted third overall by the New York Jets in 2018. He signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings with the hopes of reviving his career and proving that he deserved another shot at being a starting quarterback after prior stints with the Jets and Carolina Panthers failed to go as planned.
Currently, HC Kevin O'Connell wants Sam to take the majority of first-team reps, although McCarthy will also get some. On Monday, head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke with the media about his team's quarterback predicament.
O'Connell told reporters, "I have no predetermined, pre-set chart depth chart in my mind," O'Connell further said. "I said at the end of spring that Sam was the No. 1 quarterback."
Darnold, who spent last season as Brock Purdy's backup with the San Francisco 49ers during their Super Bowl run, is now in Minnesota on a one-year deal. His finest season statistically was in 2019, when he passed for slightly over 3,000 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
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