Former Minnesota Vikings first-round pick J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury sustained during a promising preseason performance.
In his absence, veteran quarterback Sam Darnold took over the starting role and played well until his production dramatically declined in the Vikings’ final two games of the season, both losses, with one being a shocking playoff upset.
However, Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora reported that McCarthy still faces a lengthy recovery from his injury and the Vikings are not in a rush to let Darnold go, despite his late-season struggles.
“Sam Darnold’s poor performances in Week 18 and the playoffs led many to write him off in Minnesota, but not so fast. Several executives from teams in need of quarterbacks have shown interest in Darnold, suggesting he won’t be leaving. I’m hearing that J.J. McCarthy, who missed his rookie year due to injury, has significant work ahead of him to rebuild his body and adapt to the NFL. ‘They’ll tag Darnold,’ said one GM. ‘They’re not dumb,’” La Canfora reported.
“An agent for another free-agent quarterback added: ‘Darnold will likely get the transition tag. It just makes sense… Owners dislike offering sheet signings, and if they do, Minnesota has five days to decide whether to match. What if all the other quarterbacks are signed by then? Can they afford that risk in March?’”
Now McCarthy is responding to these reports, making it clear that he’ll be ready to compete sooner rather than later.
“We’re ahead of schedule, on track, whatever you want to call it,” McCarthy said.
It’ll be interesting to see who Minnesota’s starting quarterback is when Week One arrives.