In less than a week, on Sunday, July 21st, rookies are set to report to the TCO Performance Center to begin their very first training camp with the Minnesota Vikings. This means that the Vikings also have less than a week to agree to contracts with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy and rookie pass rusher Dallas Turner to avoid the possibility of them missing any practice time during the team's training camp.
Currently, neither McCarthy nor Turner have signed their rookie deals with the Vikings. They are part of a group of five players who still haven't signed their rookie contracts after being selected in the opening round of this year's NFL Draft.
McCarthy and Turner will not be able to participate in Minnesota's training camp this summer until they officially sign their rookie deals with the team.
Minnesota Vikings insider believes the team will sign J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner before training camp begins
The Star Tribune's Ben Goessling appeared on KFXN-FM's "The Paul Allen Show" on Monday, and he shared a prediction that might provide some relief to Vikings fans who are possibly freaking out about McCarthy and Turner still being unsigned.
During a discussion about Minnesota's top two rookies, Goessling said the following about the possibility of their contracts getting completed before Sunday.
"It's one of those things where deadlines tend to spur action on this stuff. My guess is done late next week before they are on the field, especially for a guy like J.J. McCarthy, who they do not want missing time. They want him out there absorbing as much as he possibly can and I think that will put a little more of an urgency sort of thing into it."
It doesn't sound like Goessling is too concerned about these deals getting done. Hopefully, this helps ease any concerns that Vikings fans might currently have about the team's top two rookies.
If this upcoming Sunday comes and goes with McCarthy and Turner still not being under contract with the team, then it's completely fair for people to be worried about the negotiations. But until then, the stress level within the Minnesota fan base should remain low, at least when it comes to this specific issue.