Getty
J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up during training camp.
Discussions on the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback room have largely revolved around what will happen with Sam Darnold. However, J.J. McCarthy’s progression will be a driving factor in the Vikings’ decision-making.
McCarthy went through all of OTAs and training camp, but he suffered a torn meniscus that required two surgeries to repair and then address swelling in the knee.
He is expected to be ready for OTAs, but McCarthy must overcome an additional hurdle.
“McCarthy dropped more than 20 pounds this fall,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote on January 25. “McCarthy has plenty of time to regain the weight before OTA practices this spring. But his appearance was a visual symbol of the neutral terms Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell used last week in discussing his immediate future.
“He only recently began on-field training and has plenty of work remaining to return his body to football condition.”
The SNF TV copy caught J.J. McCarthy walking around on the sideline from Sunday night.
Looks like McCarthy has graduated the bulky knee brace and is only in a sleeve now.
A great milestone to cross for the future @Vikings QB1.
Seifert noted that weight loss is common for athletes during injury rehabilitation. McCarthy is one of two quarterbacks under contract for the Vikings in 2025. The other is career backup Brett Rypien, adding urgency to the Vikings’ fact-finding.
Insider: J.J. McCarthy Vikings’ ‘1st Priority’
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Vikings will have from February 18 through March 4 to decide whether or not to apply the franchise tag to Darnold. The new league year begins on March 12. Darnold could sign with any team as a free agent after that.
However, the NFL’s negotiating window opens on March 10, so a deal could be agreed upon long before it can officially be announced.
The Vikings must determine where McCarthy is before then.
“Their first priority is to assess McCarthy’s capacity for a quick ascension,” Siefert wrote. “There isn’t much precedent for projecting McCarthy’s next step. He was the first quarterback in the NFL’s modern draft era (since 1967) to miss his entire rookie season because of injury after being selected in the first round.”
The good news for McCarthy is that he is on track in his anticipated return, and he had impressed the staff enough that it was believed he could have usurped Darnold at some point during the campaign.
Vikings’ Real Decision: Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones
GettyDaniel Jones #13 greets Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings.
There has been speculation that the Vikings could consider trading McCarthy this offseason. O’Connell also toned down his previous comments about the rookie being the Vikings’ quarterback of the “future.”
However, his position on the team is far more secure than that of Darnold or Daniel Jones, who the Vikings signed in free agency from the New York Giants.
Darnold is still expected to garner a contract worth roughly $30 million annually.
The Vikings should be able to afford him. Over The Cap projects the Vikings to have $57.9 million before any transactions. Jones will be cheaper than Darnold. It is unclear how appealing a more certain opportunity to start elsewhere might be, though.
McCarthy is heading into Year 2 of a four-year, $21.8 million rookie deal. That is a potential boon for the Vikings’ roster-building efforts. However, they must determine if he can be QB1 in 2025.
If he cannot, they then must determine how long it will take before he will be if ever.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He's based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
