Daunte Culpepper Can’t Stop Talking about One Viking
Folks are lining up to offer opinions on Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and Daunte Culpepper, who played for the team from 1999 to 2006, got in on the fun this week.
Ex-Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper dropped emphatic comments about a key Vikings player this week, and fans took notice.
Culpepper retired about 15 years ago — can you believe it’s been that long? — but evidently keeps close tabs on the franchise that picked him in 1999.
And in his estimation, McCarthy is the real deal.
What Daunte Culpepper Said about the Vikings Passer
Daunte Culpepper Is All-In on J.J. McCarthy
Culpepper, 48, spoke to WCCO this week and provided his McCarthy opinions.
“I saw him at practice last week, and he looks great. He has that ‘it’ factor, I always say, he has it. And I can see it in his eyes, he’s ready to go out and tear it up. I think it won’t be a hard transition for him in the NFL. As long as we keep him healthy and keep him off the ground, with those weapons around him, I see great things,” Culpepper said.
“I think that he’s gonna surprise a lot of people. Because his ability, I watched him make every throw, he has a lot of zip on his passes and he is very knowledgeable of the offense, he knows where everybody’s at. I think he’s gonna be a master, I think he’s working his way to be a master, and just remember I said it first, he’s gonna tear up the league.”
Pure June goodness about the Vikings’ main hope to end the Super Bowl drought.
A Pretty Damn Trustworthy Source
Culpepper led the Vikings as QB1 from 2000 to 2005 before a devastating knee injury altered his career. Minnesota cut ties with him after the 2005 campaign, embarking on a brief Brad Johnson era that later featured Adrian Peterson — and became the Adrian Peterson era.
(©) Copyright 2004 by Bruce Kluckhohn.
The former Viking earned status as a Top 10 quarterback for most of his starting tenure in the Twin Cities and even flirted with an MVP award in 2004, his best season.
Culpepper doesn’t sound off on Vikings-related items too often, so when he talks, fans listen.
Recent Strange Criticisms about McCarthy Are Out There
Culpepper’s comments arrived after a weird couple of weeks that have featured reservations about McCarhty’s skill set.
Colin Cowherd led the charge on his show, claiming McCarthy doesn’t do “one thing” overly well and questioned out loud whether McCarthy has the arm strength to succeed as a long-term starting quarterback.
Others, like Justin Jefferson, have swatted away the arm strength concerns. Most fans trust Jefferson, Culpepper, and head coach Kevin O’Connell over Cowherd and others’ hot takes.
Culpepper’s Message Is Consistent
Last June, Culpepper gassed up McCarthy as well.
He told KSTP’s Brad Ausmus:
He’s a baller. He’s definitely a baller. He’s a rock-solid young man, and he’s going to be an even better quarterback, I think. He has a lot of upside and a lot of ability.
You can watch the clip here.
ESPN on McCarthy
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert also shared some McCarthy-themed thoughts this week,
Kevin Seifert noted, “The world has no shortage of opinions on Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Is he ready to lead the Vikings to Super Bowl LX in February? It’s not hard to find someone willing to say yes. Is he too weak-armed and small-statured to be a long-term starter?”
“That assessment has floated around the national media as well. This range of potential outcomes makes sense for a quarterback who missed his rookie season with a torn right meniscus and has neither played nor practiced during an NFL regular season. What McCarthy has done, however, is build up an inventory of offseason throws, decisions, mistakes, successes and growth moments.”
The Vikings’ leadership has stated in recent weeks that the plan was to sit McCarthy all season as a rookie so the man could watch and learn for a year. His torn meniscus last August made the plan a mandate.
Seifert added, “Over the 14 months since the Vikings made him the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft, McCarthy has participated in 18 days of training camp, 15 OTAs, three days of rookie minicamp, six days of veteran minicamp and one preseason game. That body of work is big enough to make some informed judgments, at least for those who have witnessed them.”
If Culpepper is all the way in on McCarthy — twice on record — Minnesota should be in a favorable spot for the future.
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