Vikings Earn a Spot on the Bullsh!t Meter
Many items from any given offseason must be taken in stride, as NFL teams don’t like to tip their hands or advertise blatant information.
There’s evidently a “BS” meter in the NFL, and the Vikings have a spot.
So when Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell wouldn’t assertively name J.J. McCarthy as his Week 1 starter last week, some raised eyebrows, wondering about the hesitation to commit to the 22-year-old quarterback.
Accordingly, Bleacher Report opined on the O’Connell comments and even logged the matter on its “BS meter,” a publication tracking bullish!t NFL dealings.
Vikings on the Bullsh!t Meter
BR’s Gary Davenport opined on all the NFL’s hot-button topics, like Brock Purdy’s upcoming payday, Trey Hendrickson’s trade status, and Micah Parsons’ lingering contractual status, among other items.
For the Vikings, he weighed in on McCarthy’s “unofficial” status as QB1.
Davenport wrote, “After J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus, the presumption has been that the Minnesota Vikings would hand the keys to the offense over to the second-year quarterback now that Sam Darnold is in Seattle.”
“During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell said McCarthy has had an excellent offseason. However, he stopped short of naming the young signal-caller the starter in 2025. I’ll take coachspeak for $400, Alex.”
Reporters and show hosts have hoped to nail O’Connell down for a QB1 proclamation all offseason, and he just refuses. He wants McCarthy to earn the job.
Davenport added, “Although O’Connell said that McCarthy isn’t the Vikings’ starting quarterback, he essentially confirmed that he is their starting quarterback. From all indications, McCarthy’s knee is 100 percent. Minnesota selected him with the 10th overall pick last year for a reason. And with all due respect to Sam Howell and Brett Rypien, they are, um, Sam Howell and Brett Rypien.”
“Provided McCarthy is healthy, he’s Minnesota’s starter. Period. BS Meter: 11/10”
O’Connell Not Going to Tell All
Identifying the QB1 from O’Connell’s lips has been a painstaking task for reporters this offseason. They collectively and desperately want a commitment to McCarthy — that he will not announce.
The Vikings want McCarthy to grab the job for himself organically — a makeshift competition — instead of a coronation.
O’Connell has remained steadfast about it and won’t change until late in the summer when McCarthy earns the title.
But Writing Is on the Wall
The caveat? McCarthy will win the competition against Sam Howell, Brett Rypien, and Max Brosmer. It’s just inevitable.
That’s the frustrating part for reporters and show hosts; everyone knows the job belongs to McCarthy, but the Vikings want McCarthy to ascend this summer and win the job title outright.
Even McCarthy said earlier this offseason that nothing is guaranteed and that he looked forward to seizing the job. There is no formal QB1 emblem on his chest until he shows at training camp and in the preseason that he’s worthy.
It’s just that all fans and media basically know he’s worthy, indeed.
Resisting the Aaron Rodgers Temptation
The only person who could’ve knocked McCarthy from his QB1 perch in 2025 was Aaron Rodgers, whom the Vikings did homework on in March. Rodgers campaigned through backchannels to join the Vikings’ roster for a “one-year run at the Super Bowl,” and while Minnesota explored the idea, it relented. The Vikings drafted McCarthy for a reason in April 2024, and it wasn’t to delay his development with Rodgers and his humongous persona.
After the Rodgers rumor mill died off, McCarthy stepped forward front and center for the QB1 assignment, especially after his meniscus injury recovery went swimmingly.
Other Perspective on McCarthy
Zone Coverage‘s Nelson Thielen — no relation — recently added more perspective on McCarthy.
He wrote, “So, in case you’re feeling any anxiety over McCarthy’s status, how confident should we be that the Michigan kid is right on schedule?”
“Firstly, the Vikings made no serious attempts at providing legitimate competition. This team is still sitting on a healthy chunk of cap space that was burning a hole in their pocket for this season, the perfect size for a modest one-year deal for a Daniel Jones or an Aaron Rodgers.”
It’s worth noting that the Vikings haven’t truly hit on a rookie quarterback since Daunte Culpepper — 26 years ago.
Thielen added, “Even taking a closer look at the Sam Darnold contract in Seattle, it essentially boils down to a one-year deal with some extra fluff on the backend. Suppose Kevin O’Connell was genuinely concerned that McCarthy wasn’t the solution, or was behind schedule in his recovery. In that case, it’s feasible to bring in any of those legitimate starting options.”
“Granted, there are some reports that the Vikings floated low-ball offers to each guy. Considering the excess cap, they easily could’ve kept bidding if they really wanted. But they didn’t. At a certain point, bringing in a quarterback who might lose the camp battle to McCarthy no longer became worth it.”
Generally speaking, Bleacher Report is correct about the bullish!t meter — the Vikings aren’t on the fence about McCarthy as the QB1. One might suggest that it would be a little strange if Minnesota didn’t force McCarthy to win the title this summer. NFL coronations are rare.
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