Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is undergoing his first unfavorable brush with NFL media.
J.J. McCarthy Roasted by ESPN Talking Heads
The young passer told The Up and Adams Show this week that no Vikings executive or coach had handed him the QB1 job this offseason and that he needed to earn the job personally.
And men like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and former NFLer Shannon Sharpe mocked him for it.
What J.J. McCarthy Said
Kay Adams asked McCarthy on Tuesday about winning the QB1 title following the essential end to Aaron Rodgers rumors last week.
McCarthy claimed there was no formal announcement.
“They haven’t told me, and I’m happy they didn’t because I try to earn it every single day. I never want that to be given to me. It’s such a privilege and an opportunity to give me that chance. I’m just gonna make the most of it every single day,” he told Adams.
In short, McCarthy responded exactly how one might expect. “I never want that given to me,” isn’t an egotistical or arrogant response.
Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on First Take
ESPN pundits evidently found a snippet of McCarthy’s segment with Adams — and ran with it in the most bizarre manner imaginable.
“First of all, they don’t have to tell a damn thing. They already did. Did you re-sign Sam Darnold? No. Did you bring Aaron Rodgers there? No. I mean, damn. It’s your spot. We all know you. You just gotta go and play. I don’t get it. Here’s the deal. He was a rookie last year and got injured,” Smith said on First Take.
Sharpe piled on, “Stephen A… what does he want? Does he want a quarterback reveal? You know how we see all these TikTok trends and gender reveals. So, what’s he want, a quarterback reveal? QB1 is JJ McCarthy and it’s blue. Man, get outta here. Go play football, man.”
McCarthy did not, in fact, ask for a gender reveal. He did the opposite. McCarthy said, “I never want that to be given to me. It’s such a privilege and an opportunity to give me that chance.”
Sometimes, Ya Just Can’t Win
McCarthy handled the moment with Adams as any pro’s pro might: with grace and humility.
He didn’t whine about a lack of announcement, and in truth, commented the opposite. McCarthy knows he must win the QB1 job this summer and that the Vikings will likely sign a passer like Joe Flacco or Ryan Tannehill to push his limits.
That’s what competition is — and why McCarthy personally stated he’d have to earn the big job.
Had McCarthy bemoaned Minnesota’s lack of commitment or anything of the sort, perhaps Smith and Sharpe’s commentary might’ve made sense. But he did not, and therefore, Smith and Share sounded silly.
Vikings GM Backs McCarthy
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke to the media on Wednesday, and reporters spent about half the session asking him about Aaron Rodgers. Eventually, Adofo-Mensah was able to speak about McCarthy, the man he drafted with the 10th overall pick last year.
“When we pool the resources we did to draft J.J., and you go through that long process and all those things, I can’t stand up here and say that’s not the outcome we want. That’s the outcome we’re headed towards,” Adofo-Mensah confirmed.
“At every checkpoint, whether it been the draft process or practice, until the injury, and really the offseason now, he’s met the bar. I mean, he’s exceeded our expectations at every point.”
Adofo-Mensah also closed the door, for the most part, on Rodgers as a viable QB1 option in March. “We didn’t think it was the right move at this time. It is also his decision whether he signs with another team. That’s ultimately up to the player. For me to sit here and say that, you know, anything’s 100% forever, that’s just not the job,” Adofo-Mensah explained.
“We’re responding to scenarios and different information as it comes. So, you know, obviously things can change, but right now we’re really happy with our room.”
Regarding the First Take segment from Smith and Sharpe, McCarthy might feel like he lives a twilight zone if he watches the footage.
Longtime Viking Says Goodbye
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.