A potential competition to be the starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 was cut short by J.J. McCarthy suffering a torn meniscus in the preseason opener. Sam Darnold became the guy, and with him gone, the Vikings have made what was always going to be an eventual turn to McCarthy.
As expected, McCarthy has been the center of attention and hype (overhype?) as the Vikings have gotten into the more meaningful portion of OTAs this week. Every throw he makes is fantastic, etc., which further sets aside the idea he would somehow fail before training camp and open the door for Aaron Rodgers to fulfill his dream (and everyone else's nightmare) of playing for the Vikings this year.
On Wednesday, head coach Kevin O'Connell revealed the entire team was on-site at TCO Performance Center with "near 100 percent" participation outside of a couple things (guard Will Fries won't be ready until training camp as he recovers from a broken leg last season, as one example).
That kind of buy-in to showing up to voluntary OTAs is fueled by the belief in McCarthy, and it's also a testament to having no major contractual issues and having few injury/injury recovery concerns this side of Fries.
Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (accidentally?) adds fuel to own hype machine
After Wednesday's OTA practice, McCarthy was asked generally how it feels to be back out on the practice field after losing his rookie season to an injury.
"It feels amazing. When you get it taken away from you, you take every chance you get to be back out here and really appreciate it, really take the most out of it. There's just nothing better than being out here with the boys, playing some ball."
McCarthy was later asked if he could tell any difference in himself compared to "two years ago" (actually only a year ago).
As the reporter clarified "physically", McCarthy had a straight-forward, non-hyperbolic answer that stopped short of the cliche' of saying "I'm in the best shape of my life". But he still added some fuel to his own hype machine.
"I honestly feel bigger, faster, [and] stronger."
There was some concern about how much weight it looked like McCarthy had lost while rehabbing his knee injury when he was spotted on the sideline late last season. He has recently looked like he's back to his previous playing weight, perhaps and then some, as it was expected he would when he was able to work out normally again.
McCarthy's head coach and some of his teammates have taken lead roles in fueling the hype machine around him to this point.
With those three words--bigger, faster, stronger--the Vikings' newly minted starting quarterback took the baton to add some fuel to his own late-May OTA hype machine.