The general belief around the Vikings right now is that veteran Sam Darnold will begin the season as the starting quarterback and potentially hold that for the entire season. There is also some belief that Nick Mullens will be the backup to Darnold, which would result in the tenth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft being the third quarterback on the roster.
Kevin O’Connell recently appeared on the Rich Eisen Show. Eisen, being a big Michigan fan, asked about where J.J. McCarthy stands and how he’s been doing for Minnesota. O’Connell shared that McCarthy has had good command of the Vikings’ offense and has, in fact, had some first-team reps with Minnesota.
“He’s had a great spring,” said O’Connell. “He’s off to a really good start. You know transitioning into a new offense, a bunch of new teammates, new players, he gets a ton of work throughout routes on air and even in 7-on-7, you know where we were going full speed on all that stuff with some of the first group throughout the spring”
Minnesota drafted McCarthy to be its franchise quarterback for years to come. While the Vikings might not just hand him the keys to the car on day one, McCarthy will be handed those keys when he’s ready. Whether that’s in 2023 or if he has to wait his turn.
HC Kevin O’Connell says #Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy HAS gotten some work with the first team offense
“He’s had a great spring. He’s off to a really good start. You know transitioning into a new offense a bunch of new teammates, new players, he gets a ton of work… pic.twitter.com/tju5usj5xS
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) June 10, 2024
