J.J. McCarthy finally does the thing Vikings fans have been waiting for
By Adam Patrick
With rookies set to report to the TCO Performance Center this Sunday for the start of training camp, some Minnesota Vikings fans were beginning to worry about whether or not J.J. McCarthy was going to sign his rookie contract with the team before this weekend.
Well, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday, the Vikings and McCarthy have officially agreed to terms, and the young quarterback has signed his rookie deal.
Sources: Minnesota Vikings No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy is signing a four-year, fully-guaranteed contract worth $21.85 million that includes a $12.71 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option. pic.twitter.com/Cc9CE8A4nj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 19, 2024
Expectations for J.J. McCarthy in his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings
Now that the rookie contract has been taken care of, McCarthy doesn't have to worry about missing any valuable reps during Minnesota's training camp this summer.
We know the Vikings have their own plans for his development, but as the No. 10 pick in this year's NFL Draft, he should be able to begin the 2024 season as the team's No. 2 quarterback, at the very least.
So, if McCarthy is listed as the third quarterback on Minnesota's depth chart when they step on the field for their Week 1 matchup against the New York Giants on September 8th, that seems like it would be a red flag.
The Vikings would never openly admit it, but if McCarthy is unable to beat out Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall for the team's QB2 spot this summer, that would definitely be a concern.
Minnesota thought highly enough of the former Michigan signal-caller to use the 10th overall pick on him this past April, so it's fair to expect him to be able to outperform a career backup and a 2023 fifth-rounder.
There is also still a slight chance that McCarthy could even emerge as the Vikings' Week 1 starter for the regular season. However, Minnesota seems pretty locked in to giving that role to veteran Sam Darnold, at least for the first few games on the team's 2024 schedule.
So, unless something drastically changes during the next few weeks, Vikings fans should be expecting McCarthy to enter the regular season as the team's No. 2 quarterback behind Darnold.
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