With Kirk Cousins taking his talents to the Atlanta Falcons, it’s officially the dawn of a new era for the Minnesota Vikings.
They signed veteran QB Sam Darnold as an insurance policy to make sure to have someone competent leading the way there.
However, it’s more than evident they hope J.J. McCarthy will be their guy for the future.
Now, Vikings beat writer Alec Lewis reports that the Michigan product has been quite impressive at OTAs (via The Purple Persuasion).
McCarthy reportedly “lasered” passes, impressing with his velocity, efficient mechanics, and fluid motion, although he did add that the team would have to monitor the torque on his arm.
Lewis added that Darnold was quite accurate with his ball placement, but his ball “did not zip through the air the way McCarthy’s did.”
On paper, given his salary and experience, Darnold should be the starter by Week 1.
Per @Alec_Lewis, #Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy lasered passes throughout Tuesday's OTA session 👀
He also noted that Sam Darnold's ball "did not zip through the air the way McCarthy's did, but Darnold placed the ball accurately".
"[J.J. McCarthy] generates his velocity with… pic.twitter.com/4kcChe2LkB
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) May 22, 2024
However, both are new to Kevin O’Connell’s system, so technically, both are starting from scratch in this new offense, so it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise in the world to see McCarthy beating him for the job.
Even if that’s not the case, there’s a big chance that their No. 10 pick will take the field at some point, as Darnold was never expected to be a long-term solution for the organization.
McCarthy drew mixed reviews and some didn’t think of him as an elite quarterback prospect, but so far, so good for the Vikings, and it’ll be interesting to see how NFL-ready he actually is right out of the gate.
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