Purple Rumor Mill: J.J. McCarthy as Top QB from Class, Stefon Diggs, QB Confidence
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the September 8th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: J.J. McCarthy as Top QB from Class, Stefon Diggs, QB Confidence
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the second batch of the week. Yesterday’s can be read here.
Rumor: Rival NFL execs and coaches believe J.J. McCarthy was on pace this summer to become the best quarterback from the 2024 class.
According to The Athletic, McCarthy had stolen the hearts of coaches and executives leaguewide — so much so that credible onlookers believed the young Wolverine was trending as the best quarterback from the 2024 class.
“Quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s torn meniscus was a tough one to swallow,” The Athletic’s Jeff Howe wrote last weekend. “Prior to the injury, rival coaches and executives debated whether the Michigan product would’ve had the best season among the six first-round rookie QBs.”
McCarthy’s 1st-Round class included:
- Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
- Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
- Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
- Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons)
- J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
- Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
Williams, Daniels, and Nix will start out of the gate for their respective teams this weekend, while Penix Jr. and Maye will claim QB2 roles. McCarthy is the only injured 1st-Round passer at the moment — to which Vikings fans say, “Go figure.”
But per The Athletic, McCarthy was on track to impress the most.
Rumor: Stefon Diggs is stirring the pot again, claiming he could spill the beans over the Vikings about his exit from the franchise — but he won’t because he’s a professional.
The architect of The Minneapolis Miracle chatted with GQ this week in an intimate interview, speaking rather cryptically about his exit from the Vikings four years ago.
“If I feel targeted or I feel somebody’s saying something that’s wrong, can I say something? Yes. Will I say something? No. For what? I don’t gain nothing from it. None of these people sign any check of mine,” Diggs told GQ.
The Vikings, then led by ex-general manager Rick Spielman, shipped Diggs to Buffalo in 2020 for the draft picks that would later net Justin Jefferson and Camryn Bynum.
Diggs added, “There’s some things that happened in Minnesota that I never shared, that I won’t share. Because I’m a professional. I believe in professionalism. You don’t gotta talk bad about your ex-girlfriend to your new girlfriend.”
He’s always got something to say. This is nothing new. He became disillusioned with the Vikings wanted to be traded. It’s old news.
Rumor: Justin Jefferson wants Sam Darnold to have more confidence than Kirk Cousins.
Jefferson, via Star Tribune, explained this week what he’s seeking from a non-Cousins passer.
“It’s going to be different. But I want it to be the same for them to have the confidence in me to go and make a play, just like Kirk did in those opportunities and those situations. I low-key want them to have more confidence than what Kirk had,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson added, “Kirk is more comfortable in the system, with him running it early on in Washington. It’s just to give them an extra boost and extra confidence; I want to go up and make a play for them whenever they give me the chance.”
Some might consider Jefferson’s “more confidence than Cousins” a wee bit of shade, but Jefferson and Cousins maintained a wonderful relationship. If Jefferson had it his way, though, he’d simply ask for the confidence meter to spring off the charts for Darnold or McCarthy, topping Cousins because too much is never enough.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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