J.J. McCarthy Tipped His (and The Vikings’) Hand
Go ahead and ask Kevin O’Connell about his plan for who starts at quarterback. The head coach will then do a bit of verbal tap-dancing.
Sure, J.J. McCarthy is the clear-cut favorite to jump into the starting spot, but O’Connell prefers to maintain a bit of mystery within the non-existent enigma that is the QB1 spot. For his part, McCarthy is playing along, previously pointing toward his desire to fully earn the starter’s crown. The verbal gymnastic do little to undermine what’s becoming increasingly obvious to see.
J.J. McCarthy as the Vikings’ QB1
At OTAs, the young passer took some time to chat with the media. Buried within that conversation were a pair of clues that help us to see things more clearly.
First, consider the fact that the Michigan alumnus is getting work in with Justin Jefferson, Minnesota’s locked-in top option in the passing game. The young arm suggests that he’s now earning more snaps with #18: “Last year, I don’t know the specific amount of reps, but I would say it’s probably not as much as it is now.” He then notes the importance of building his relationship with Jefferson, describing it as “extremely huge.”
Keep in mind, as well, that McCarthy goes on to articulate how he’s working with Ryan Kelly, someone who was signed to be the starting center.
“Good amount of time with Ryan Kelly,” the sophomore notes when asked about working with his center. “We met a couple times with [offensive line] coach [Chris Kuper] and just went over just little things about the offense.” The quarterback then notes the importance of the “continued process” with Kelly alongside his center being “an absolute stud.”
Ask yourself a very simple question: which quarterback is going to get the most snaps with Justin Jefferson and Ryan Kelly? The starter, of course.
Now, there’s the caveat that we’re still a long way from the regular season. In theory, McCarthy could have a disastrous offseason, prompting some shuffling in the hierarchy. What would be even worse is another injury, further delaying his push toward becoming the starter.
Do remember, though, that the NFL truly is a place where actions speak louder than words. Sure, O’Connell and McCarthy can be a bit evasive, but there’s no denying what the real reps tell us: McCarthy is indeed the top option.
Also worthwhile for the discussion is the recent vote of confidence from Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf, who was quite outgoing with his praise for McCarthy: “He has a gravitational pull as a leader, he really does. I think the way the players support him, I think it’s of course the talent is there. Coach O’Connell is glowing in his praises of how he’s handled everything to date. And from an off-the-field perspective, we couldn’t he happier.”
Yes, the Wilf quote is (by definition) more words when we’ve just noted that actions have more importance. What’s worth noting, however, is that Wilf is describing a tangible reality: players wanting to follow McCarthy and McCarthy doing an excellent job off the field. Those two things — being able to lead teammates and handle the off-the-field portion of things with aplomb — are necessary components to being a top-tier QB1.
J.J. McCarthy, in short, is leading the race to be the team’s starter. In fact, he’s leading by a country mile. Seeing him fall short of being the Week 1 starter would mean some sort of catastrophe has arrived (in level of play, health, or both).
The recent words from McCarthy — ones that illuminate his work alongside Jefferson and Kelly — tips the team’s hand about how things are trending at QB1.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
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