New coaching hire might have just spoiled the Vikings 2024 draft plans

Before he was hired to be the new quarterbacks coach of the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, Josh McCown coached Drake Maye in high school.

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Vikings made a bit of a surprising announcement when they revealed that they hired Josh McCown to be the team's new quarterbacks coach.

Chris O'Hara was the Vikings' quarterbacks coach for the last two seasons, but he will now shift to a role as the team's pass game specialist. In 2023, McCown was the quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers, his first official coaching job on an NFL staff.

In addition to being able to share his experiences from playing in the league for over 10 years, Minnesota's new quarterbacks coach also has a unique connection to one of this year's top passing prospects.

New Minnesota Vikings QB coach has a history with former North Carolina QB Drake Maye

Heading into this year's NFL Draft, there are three clear-cut prospects who many believe could develop into one of the league's next great franchise quarterbacks.

This trio consists of USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels. With the recent hiring of McCown, the Vikings might have actually tipped their hand about which quarterback prospect they intend to target during the opening round of the draft in April.

Back in 2019, McCown was an assistant football coach at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Coincidentally, Maye just so happened to be the starting signal-caller for Myers Park that season.

It also seems important to note that during his playing career in the NFL, McCown's agent was Mike McCartney, who has also been the longtime agent of Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Is the McCown hiring the beginning of a scenario the Vikings are attempting to create in which they re-sign Cousins and draft Maye this offseason?

This will, of course, depend on whether Minnesota and Cousins can work out a new contract this year. But whether he re-signs with the team or not, the hiring of McCown at least makes it seem like the Vikings are probably going to do whatever they can to select Maye or one of the other top quarterback prospects in this year's NFL Draft.

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