During the last few months, Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been showered with praise by numerous teammates, coaches, and other notable members of the organization.
So, it was a bit odd to then see the headline going around on Tuesday from a Newsweek article that read "Vikings Reportedly Concerned With JJ McCarthy".
After seeing this headline, it's likely that I wasn't the only one who sat back and then proceeded to do my best "You sure about that?" impression from the Netflix show "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson".
Minnesota Vikings are concerned about J.J. McCarthy if the definition of concerned now means excited and ecstatic
The content of the article came from a recent episode of SKOR North's "Purple Daily" that featured an interview with former NFL player Ross Tucker. At one point in the conversation, Tucker shared his belief that, regardless of how excited the Vikings have claimed to be about McCarthy this year, the team wanted to re-sign Sam Darnold.
He then went on to point out how Minnesota's attempt to re-sign Daniel Jones this offseason was also an indication that the team isn't 100 percent sold on McCarthy as the team's starter for the 2025 campaign.
Now, there are a few things to take away from these comments. But first, let's address these so-called "concerns" that the Vikings allegedly have about their young quarterback.
At no point in Tucker's interview did he mention that he has heard from people in the Vikings facilities or from someone who is close to the team that they are worried about McCarthy next season. This was just based on his own opinion that he formed earlier this offseason when reports were floating around about Minnesota making contract offers to both Darnold and Jones.
What Tucker failed to mention was that not only did the Vikings decline to place the franchise tag on Darnold this offseason, they also only offered him a one-year contract that would have paid him less than what he eventually got from the Seattle Seahawks, according to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
Then, when it came to Jones, Minnesota was willing to give him a good chunk of change to return and be McCarthy's backup next season. But that was the key. The Vikings only wanted Jones to be their No. 2 quarterback, so he chose to sign with the Indianapolis Colts instead, with the hope that he could potentially open up next season as an NFL starter again.
Minnesota's plan at the quarterback position for 2025 and beyond has always centered around McCarthy. It's also completely fine for the Vikings to have some concerns about a second-year signal-caller who has never started an NFL regular-season game and missed his entire rookie year with a knee injury. Honestly, it would actually be a bit of a red flag if Minnesota had no worries about McCarthy heading into next season.
However, the point is, that is not what Tucker said in his interview. Instead, he shared his opinion on how he believes the Vikings feel about McCarthy based on their actions with Darnold and Jones earlier this year.
Again, Tucker shared his opinion. He did not share a report or a rumor. So, to take what he said on "Purple Daily" and jump to the conclusion that Minnesota is "concerned" about McCarthy is a leap that Anthony Edwards couldn't even dream of attempting.