After the 2023 season, the Minnesota Vikings and QB Kirk Cousins agreed to go their separate ways. Cousins signed a lucrative long-term deal with Atlanta. Leaving the Vikings with choices. Would they find a QB through free agency or use one of their two first-round picks to draft one?
Minnesota chose the latter option and drafted former Michigan QB and 2023 national champion, J.J. McCarthy. The 21-year-old was the fifth QB to go off the board in the first round. He was the fifth QB taken in the first 10 picks. ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced that Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy signed a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $21.85 million.
All signs point to J.J. McCarthy being the Vikings QB of the future
Sources: Minnesota Vikings No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy is signing a four-year, fully-guaranteed contract worth $21.85 million that includes a $12.71 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option. pic.twitter.com/Cc9CE8A4nj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 19, 2024
The Minnesota Vikings have to trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft to select QB J.J. McCarthy. Caleb Williams, Jaden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Michael Penix Jr. were all picked before McCarthy. Options for the Vikings at QB started to become slim and they had to act fast on McCarthy. He’s not the most polished QB in this class, but he’s a proven winner when he has the right group of players around him. Head coach Kevin O’Connell knows that McCarthy is going to be a work in progress.
That’s why the team brought in veteran QB Sam Darnold. There’s a strong chance that McCarthy is not the Vikings QB to start Week 1. Minnesota’s bye is in Week 6. Darnold could start the first five games of the season, giving J.J. McCarthy more time to learn the offense and get ready to make his first start. If the rookie is ready, he could take over after the bye and start the final 12 games of the 2024 season.
The #Vikings are signing 1st round pick QB JJ McCarthy to a four-year, fully-guaranteed contract worth $21.85 million that includes a $12.71 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option, per @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/syZdv24xG9
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) July 19, 2024
At Michigan, J.J. McCarthy’s best season was 22 touchdowns for 2,991 yards and four interceptions in 2023. While modern-day college football offenses love to pass the ball, McCarthy played on a run-first team. The young QB will need to adjust to the playcalling of the NFL and be ready to pass the ball more. It will be interesting to see how J.J. McCarthy plays for the Vikings after he was doubted coming out of Michigan. He’s a proven winner but does the QB have what it takes to succeed at the next level?
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