Category: Offseason

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson gives rookie QB J.J. McCarthy glowing review

In an interview on Barstool’s “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast, Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson voiced his support for QB J.J. McCarthy.

Free agent acquisition Sam Darnold is heading into training camp as the presumptive starter at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. This much we know.

We also know that rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy isn’t going to sit on the bench forever. He will take over at some point, and it seems like he’ll have the full backing of the locker room whenever that time comes.

Safety and defensive chess piece Joshua Metellus gave McCarthy his endorsement earlier this off-season, and now tight end T.J. Hockenson has chimed in with another ringing endorsement. During his interview on Barstool’s “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast, Hockenson had this to say about McCarthy:

He’s been incredible. He’s grinding in the film room, he’s grinding in the classroom. He’s a baller on the field, obviously. But to have a guy, especially a rookie, come into a facility and to the league, you usually need to shut your mouth and go to work and that’s exactly what he did. He’s earned the respect of a lot of guys in there.

Making a change at quarterback mid-season can often divide a locker room and lead to a rift in the team. If McCarthy is to take over for Darnold at some point this season, it seems like team chemistry won’t be something head coach Kevin O’Connell needs to worry about.

CBS Sports recognizes Vikings biggest question mark in 2024

Everyone knows about the Minnesota Vikings’ questions at quarterback heading into the 2024 season, but could there be an even bigger one?

The Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback questions heading into the 2024 season garner all the headlines, and it’s a battle that folks will be watching all year long. But that’s not the only question mark the Vikings have heading into the season—and it may not even be the biggest, according to CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin.

Dubin recently took a look at each team’s biggest question mark heading into the season, and for the Vikings, he has his eyes on the situation at defensive tackle as the biggest area of concern, saying:

Harrison Phillips is a solid player, but the Vikes are counting on guys like Jerry Tillery, 2023 fifth-rounder Jaquelin Roy and 2024 seventh-rounder Levi (Drake) Rodriguez next to him. That is highly concerning, even with Brian Flores magicking things up for them. And we still don’t yet know whether they will have to start Sam Darnold for a while, or if J.J. McCarthy will hit the ground running.

Dubin does mention the quarterback situation at the end of his analysis, but it’s interesting to note that he’s more worried about the situation at defensive tackle. Minnesota was poor last season when it came to putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks up the middle, and that’s not likely to improve this season.

However, given Phillips’s potentially increased role and Brian Flores’s creative schemes, it may be less of an issue than Dubin believes it to be.

Vikings’ first-round picks are two of three who remain unsigned

With training camp looming, both of the Vikings first-round picks remain unsigned.

Caleb Williams signed his NFL rookie contract on Wednesday. That means three first-round picks have yet to sign their deals: Cincinnati Bengals rookie offensive tackle Amarius Mims and J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner of the Minnesota Vikings.

It appears a big holdup with McCarthy is the signing bonus. Under the CBA, rookies can’t do much negotiating regarding the contract terms, but they can negotiate how much of their signing bonus they get up front. It sounds like McCarthy’s camp wants his entire signing bonus when he signs, but that’s not the Vikings’ way of doing things.

Outside of a couple of instances — like Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson — Minnesota pays the signing bonus in installments.

According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the Vikings haven’t engaged McCarthy “much” about his contract. He speculates that Minnesota was waiting to see how the Bears would handle Williams’ contract.

Now that Williams is signed and has his bonus up front, it will be interesting to see how the Vikings approach McCarthy’s deal ahead of the start of training camp on July 21.

Don’t be alarmed if Andrew Van Ginkel lands on the PUP list

Even if Minnesota would place Andrew Van Ginkel on the PUP list, Vikings fans shouldn’t panic even if he missies the start of camp.

The 28-year-old linebacker, Andrew Van Ginkel, inked a two-year contract with the Vikings this offseason after Minnesota traded away Danielle Hunter and let both D.J. Wonnum and Marcus Davenport walk.

Van Ginkel is coming off his best NFL year. In 2023 with the Miami Dolphins, he recorded 69 tackles, six sacks, and one interception that he returned for a touchdown.

The only issue is that he’s currently battling an injury, and it appears he could be heading to the Physically Unable to Perform list soon. However, according to Darren Wolfson with SkorNorth, it won’t be a long time for Van Ginkel if he lands on the PUP list. Wolfson said he should be back and ready to go quickly.

Minnesota will likely lean on Van Ginkel heavily in 2024. He will team up with former Texans’ edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. Both of those guys will likely begin as the starters but don’t forget about first-round selection Dallas Turner, who will also see plenty of snaps for the Vikings.

Justin Jefferson once again regarded as league’s top wide receiver

For the second year in a row, NFL executives, coaches, and scouts polled by ESPN named Vikings WR Justin Jefferson the top WR in the NFL.

It’s no secret that Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the cream of the crop when it comes to the position. He recently inked a long-term deal to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. He topped 1,000 yards last season while missing a significant chunk of time due to injury. Jefferson has been a consistent star in the league, and the league has certainly taken notice.

ESPN has been polling executives, coaches, scouts, and other personnel to get their top 10 players at each position heading into the 2024 season. It should be no surprise who tops their list at wide receiver: Jefferson. For the second year in a row, the consensus is that Jefferson is the best the league has to offer at the position.

“He’s the best route runner in all of football in my opinion,” an NFL wide receivers coach said.

“Play speed. Constant production. Instincts. Elite hands. Do-it-all route runner,” a high-ranking personnel man with an NFL team said.

It’s truly impressive the production that Jefferson has been able to put up so far in his career. Even more remarkable is the circumstances under which he was able to perform last season. Getting 1,000 yards in 10 or fewer games is no small feat. It’s even more impressive when you consider the constant flux the quarterback situation was in during the second half of the season.

Some may be down on Jefferson heading into 2024 due to the prospect of having either Sam Darnold or rookie J.J. McCarthy throwing him the ball. But if last season showed us anything, it’s that Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the league, no matter who’s at the helm.

Randy Moss knows who he wants starting for the Minnesota Vikings at quarterback

The former Minnesota legend has a strong viewpoint of which Vikings QB he wants to see right away.

When Hall of Famer Randy Moss sits down and talks, most people want to listen to what he has to say. The former Minnesota Vikings’ legend was on the ‘Up & Adams‘ show hosted by Kay Adams. She asked about Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy and if he should play during his rookie season. Adams said she doesn’t want to see McCarthy because she thinks it’s best for him as a rookie to sit behind Sam Darnold.

But Moss has other ideas. He says McCarthy should be playing right away.

“My thing is, when we played, the first three guys they drafted, they’re playing. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Now the fourth, fifth, or sixth round — we’ll see. They may or may not see the field, maybe a special-teamer. First three rounds back then, we played. Now you’re drafting guys first round, they’re not even seeing the field. So if you ask me the question, yea, J.J. — I don’t care if he’s not ready, he needs to be out there.”

Moss knows all about playing early. He was drafted with the 21st pick of the 1998 NFL Draft. During his rookie year with the Vikings, he started 11 games and caught 69 passes for 1,313 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Vikings DL Harrison Phillips offers high praise for Jordan Love

The Vikings defensive lineman compared the difference between playing Love the first time to the second.

There is no doubt the NFC North is loaded with offensive talent. Now that the Chicago Bears have drafted Caleb Williams and the Vikings have selected J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback position has a chance of being a real problem in the NFC North. Pairing those two young phenoms up with Jared Goff and Packers’ Jordan Love could make for a tough time for any opposing defense.

Goff has been around the league for a while, but Love is fairly new in the spotlight. 2023 was his first full season starting for Green Bay, and it appears that the Packers, once again, have another face of the franchise.

Vikings defensive lineman Harrison Phillips spoke at length about Love and the huge difference between facing him the first time last season compared to the second.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen a player within a season progress that much,” said Phillips. “We went to Lambeau earlier in the year and won pretty comfortably. We pressured him quite a bit. We made him struggle a lot. I always wanted to play Aaron Rodgers the first couple of weeks in the year because he’s not able to see our defense, and he’s not able to pick up the tells of our new calls. And I think he put off some of that knowledge into Jordan Love. When we saw him at the end of the year, I just saw him comfortable. He’s buying time, he’s letting his receivers get open. He’s knowing what’s the weak part of our defense. He’s got the arm strength, he’s got the talent, his football IQ is what grew the most for me from playing him the first to the second time.”

Brian Flores will have to have solid game plans going forward on the defensive side of the football when his Vikings’ defense faces Love and the Packers. Relentless pressure will be a big key for Minnesota in 2024.

Vikings guard Ed Ingram tabbed as a potential bust candidate in 2024

Minnesota Vikings guard Ed Ingram could be a bust in 2024 according to Bleacher Report NFL writer David Kenyon.

The offensive line was the subject of much talk, and much scrutiny, for the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. The team had a subpar running game, and the offensive line bore the brunt of the blame for that. Additionally, despite good play from the tackles, the pass protection could have been better on the interior of the offensive line.

By all accounts, the Vikings head into this year’s training camp with three guards — Dalton Risner, Ed Ingram, and Blake Brandel — fighting for two spots. According to Bleacher Report, one of those three could be a bust for the Vikings in 2024 and potentially on his way out entirely.

Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon went team by team to look at potential bust candidates for the 2024 season, and he’s landed on Ingram as the Vikings’ candidate:

A two-year starter in Minnesota, Ed Ingram is entering a crucial third season. He’s yielded 100 pressures and 16 sacks so far, according to Pro Football Focus. As the Vikings begin to build around JJ McCarthy, they probably won’t have as much patience for Ingram next offseason if he has another subpar year.

A porous offensive line in front of them can be a confidence killer for a young quarterback (see David Carr, among many others). As the Vikings look towards the future and rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy‘s development, that’s an aspect they’ll have to pay close attention to.

Report: Signing bonus money could be holdup on rookie contracts for Vikings

Minnesota Vikings beat reporter Ben Goessling reports signing bonuses and structure may be the holdup for J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner.

There was a palpable excitement around the Minnesota Vikings just a few months ago when they took both J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That excitement may have been tempered a bit by the fact that both rookies remain unsigned — two of just five first-rounders left unsigned.

The lack of a deal has even led some to suggest that the Vikings should let at least McCarthy sit out the year and “call his bluff” rather than budge on the contract. That’s not likely to happen, but what is the hold-up with McCarthy and Turner? According to one beat reporter, it’s likely signing bonuses and their structure.

In an interview with Minnesota sports radio station KFAN 1003, Ben Goessling reported that both rookies want their signing bonuses want their signing bonuses up front, rather than the staggered installment plan that the Vikings typically do with signing bonuses. According to Goessling:

There’s different things about when you get your signing bonus. Is it going to be paid in installments? Is it paid up front? My understanding is the Vikings have typically done more of the installments stuff with a lot of veteran players. That’s been the case. And certain players have had exceptions to that. I think Justin Jefferson’s [deal did]… Kirk Cousins certainly had exceptions to that.

However, Goessling did offer some optimism on the situation, saying that he believes both rookies will sign “late next week before they are on the field.” So, despite the contract dispute, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Analyst suggest bold action in regards to TE T.J. Hockenson

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson has been one of the best TEs the past few years. Does that make now the perfect time for a trade?

There’s no question that tight end T.J. Hockenson has been an integral part of the Minnesota Vikings offense since he arrived in a trade with the Detroit Lions. Since arriving in Minnesota, Hockenson has accounted for more than 1,400 yards and eight touchdowns in just over a year and a half. Over that time, he has firmly established himself as one of the top five tight ends in the NFL.

However, Hockenson is also coming off a devastating knee injury and entering a situation with significant question marks at quarterback. Hockenson’s production saw a significant dip last season after starting quarterback Kirk Cousins was lost for the season. All that has led one analyst to wonder if the Vikings should do what the Lions did and trade Hockenson to take a swing at a rookie TE.

AtoZ Sports NFL writer Mike Payton had this to say about the situation in a recent piece for the outlet:

Hockenson’s salary in 2025 becomes guaranteed on the 15th of June 2024. If they move him in a trade ahead of then they would have to pay out $10 million in dead cap, but they save a lot of money down the road and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has shown to be someone who likes to save money.

The Vikings could then take their Sam LaPorta shot with Michigan’s Colston Loveland in the 2025 NFL Draft and pair him back up with J.J. McCarthy. He would be on a rookie deal and would be a lot cheaper for the Vikings.

Obviously, the Vikings kept Hockenson past that June date, so he’ll be with the team through 2025. However, the Vikings do have an out in his contract after that season—if they’re willing to take on just over $7 million in dead cap.

As for the idea of pairing quarterback J.J. McCarthy back up with his college tight end, the duo connected on 45 receptions for 649 yards and four touchdowns last season. If Loveland could replicate that production at the pro level, there might be something to the idea.