Tag: J.J. McCarthy

Bill Simmons throws support to Sam Darnold as quarterback controversy brews

The main talking point surrounding the Vikings is what they should do with their QB situation.

With the Vikings exceeding all expectations and sitting at 11-2 on the season, the biggest talking point isn’t whether Minnesota is a Super Bowl contender—no, it’s about the quarterbacks.

Will the Vikings bring back Sam Darnold? If Minnesota does sign Darnold, will it trade away J.J. McCarthy? Or will the Vikings opt to make McCarthy their franchise guy, as they planned on doing originally?

Everyone has their own opinion, but columnist Bill Simmons supports Darnold’s staying in Minnesota long-term.

“Darnold … really has energy with [Justin] Jefferson and [Jordan] Addison,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on December 8. “He has almost 3,300 yards – Darnold – 28 touchdowns, and 10 picks, and if they are in round one [of the playoffs], he’ll probably be like a four-plus-point favorite. He’s on a one-year deal. They have J.J. McCarthy, I’d be really hesitant not to bring him [Darnold] back. Today was the first day where I was like, ‘Wow, they might have actually found their QB, and maybe they should think about trading J.J. McCarthy.’”

The Vikings opted to let Kirk Cousins leave, but as Simmons says, this isn’t the same situation. Cousins is winding down in terms of his playing days, whereas Darnold is still young and in his prime. Will that change Minnesota’s mind?

“If I’m the Vikings, I don’t know. I’d have to really think about this one. He’s only 27. It’s not like he’s Kirk Cousins. He’s not 37 [years old], heading into his late 30s. He’s entering the prime of his career, and he’s playing great,” Simmons said. “And he has real chemistry with the receivers. When you have two weapons like that, you want a guy who’s not afraid to wing it downfield, and … if he makes a mistake, he’s going to come back. I think that’s been the thing that’s been the most impressive with him.”

NFL analyst suggests Vikings trade 1st-round QB to Titans

PFF analyst believes the Vikings could trade their 2024 first-round pick to the Titans.

The Minnesota Vikings invested quite a bit into their 2024 NFL Draft pick when the Vikings moved up to pick former Michigan star, J.J. McCarthy. Surely the Vikings wouldn’t move on from their prized pick after one injury-plagued season, right?

Probably not, but Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers with PFF’s NFL Stock Exchange created a scenario to rebuild the Tennessee Titans. In their mind, the Titans would acquire McCarthy and the No. 28 pick in the ’25 NFL Draft. In exchange, Minnesota would get the No. 6 overall pick and a 2026 third-round selection.

While it’s not noted, if the Vikings would trade away McCarthy, it’s presumed Minnesota would then re-sign Sam Darnold to a long-term deal. After starting the season 11-2, the Vikings appear to be a Super Bowl contender, so Minnesota would have to ask itself if giving up on McCarthy and signing Darnold would be the right move going forward.

How this season ends will greatly influence the narrative about what direction the team should take at quarterback.

Speculation begins on what a Sam Darnold contract may look like

Sam Darnold is likely getting a massive deal after the season, but will it be with the Vikings?

After the Vikings started the year 11-2, speculation is arising on what Minnesota will do with its quarterback situation moving forward. Sam Darnold is on his final stretch of the one-year $10 million deal he signed this offseason. The Vikings also drafted former Michigan star J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick. But after suffering a knee injury, McCarthy was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell sees Darnold’s era with the Vikings ending after this season and McCarthy taking over the reins in ’25.

“The Vikings don’t know what they have in McCarthy, but the one thing they can say with some confidence is that their quarterback-in-waiting will be cheaper. McCarthy will be entering Year 2 of a four-year, $21.9 million deal that will have a cap hit of just under $5 million next season. Darnold will be a free agent. . .It’s not that wild to imagine him looking for something akin to the four-year, $160 million deal Daniel Jones signed with the Giants after a breakout season in 2022.”

The Vikings will have a projected $79 million in cap space next year, so re-signing Darnold to a long-term deal isn’t out of the question, but McCarthy is significantly cheaper, and the Vikings drafted him thinking he was their next franchise quarterback.

J.J. McCarthy gives advice to incoming Michigan football QB Bryce Underwood

This is just too pure. #GoBlue

J.J. McCarthy may be the Michigan GOAT at quarterback in terms of his play in college (Tom Brady is the GOAT, but he didn’t lead Michigan football to a national championship as McCarthy has) but his heir apparent is potentially on his way to Ann Arbor in just about a week.

McCarthy was a five-star QB, an enigmatic talent that made the Wolverines’ offensive engine not only run but hum. He wasn’t the only component (Blake Corum was also an integral figure) but when Michigan needed to convert long third downs, it was McCarthy who was able to make those plays.

Though not yet signed (early signing day is on Dec. 4), Bryce Underwood has a lot of potential to fill McCarthy’s shoes. The No. 1 overall prospect in 2025 isn’t just an enigmatic talent, he’s a generational one, likened often to that of Trevor Lawrence who went to Clemson out of Cartersville (Ga.). Though Underwood will likely be an instant upgrade at the position, it’s still a process going from high school to college.

Appearing on The L.A.B. podcast with Jake Butt, McCarthy shared that he has spoken to Underwood and shared some advice with the incoming five-star.

“I sent Bryce a little text the other day on my advice to him. But I will just add a little something else if he sees this: my advice to him would be to chase the suck. Chase the stuff that you absolutely do not want to do,” McCarthy said. “One of the greatest things I learned from the great and legendary Greg Harden was to do everything 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. Whether it’s that class you do not want to go to that’s on the other side of campus — you’re going to do it. Whether it’s that conversation that you don’t want to spend the next 30 seconds in, you sit there and you do that, because that kid, that girl, that guy, whoever it is, might need it.

“Just understanding that Michigan, where you are, inevitably, the people you surround yourself with — the cold, the strict academics, the strict football schedule — all of that is going to make you better. But it’s how are you going to take advantage of it in the time that you’re there?

“Of course, everyone has a little bit of regret. I still have a little bit of regret doing those things, because I know on the other side of it when you have no class and you don’t have to write a paper and you can just focus on ball — your life changes. But you will never get those three, four years back — or five, seven, however many years you get now. But you’ll never get that back, where you had to do that.”

Especially in the changing landscape of college football, there are no guarantees that Underwood will replicate McCarthy’s success. But if he follows this advice, that’s at least a good leadership position for the Belleville (Mich.) signal caller that could help him greatly.

Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy undergoes second procedure on injured knee

Fast forward a few months and in the middle of his rehab, McCarthy is undergoing another surgery.

The Minnesota Vikings lost rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to a torn meniscus early in the preseason. Everyone thought he was going to be playing sooner rather than later but those plans were sidelined.

Fast forward a few months following his initial injury, and in the middle of his rehab, McCarthy is undergoing another surgery on his meniscus.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN was the first to report the surgery and provided the details. According to Seifert, McCarthy started to experience swelling in his surgically repaired knee while rehabbing. He received a biologic injection, and his timetable to return should not be extended.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to the media on Wednesday about McCarthy and his knee and provided further comment. His answer to that question and more can be found below.

 

Kevin O’Connell shares details of the work he and Sam Darnold do

As it turns out, to no one’s surprise, Kevin O’Connell isn’t playing favorites but rather is giving all his quarterbacks equal treatment.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that J.J. McCarthy was back in the Vikings facility and continuing his rehab. One of those details included that he was meeting with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell weekly to discuss things and it had people questioning why Sam Darnold wasn’t getting the same treatment.

As it turns out, to no one’s surprise, Kevin O’Connell isn’t playing favorites but rather is giving all his quarterbacks equal treatment.

When speaking to the media on Monday, O’Connell gave some details as to the inner workings of his relationship with Sam Darnold operates. Not only did he reaffirm that Danrold is the starter, as did many players, but he also shared that he and Darnold meet weekly.

Just as he and J.J. McCarthy do.

The play-calling and decision-making choices show that O’Connell works hard to ensure his quarterbacks are in a good place. Despite Darnold playing the way he did this past week, it should speak very loud about what O’Connell and the organization think of Darnold to stick with him.

Salary cap implications complicate Sam Darnold being a Viking in 2025

The voice of the Vikings, Paul Allen doesn’t see Darnold back in Minnesota next season.

Plenty of Viking fans are left scratching their head following Sam Darnold’s three-interception performance on Sunday against the Jaguars. Minnesota got the job done and won 12-7 against Jacksonville, but Darnold arguably played his worst Viking game.

Darnold is tied with Geno Smith and Jordan Love for last in the league with 10 interceptions thrown. There was a reason the Vikings drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy to become their new franchise quarterback, and even if Darnold can get back on track, it’s unlikely he will be in Minnesota after this year.

What Allen eludes to is the main issue with Darnold returning to the Vikings in 2025. It has nothing to do with his play but rather with the salary cap implications. Darnold is likely to get a contract earning between $20-$30 million a year from a team needing a quality starter, which Darnold has proven to be.

“I mean, if Sam Darnold wins the Super Bowl as quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, he’s not getting 100 million guaranteed here,” Paul Allen said on KFAN1003. “He’s not, because Kwesi in that group has worked so hard for two and a half years to get salary cap flexibility. And in essence, jettison picks in certain parts of the draft to get Greenard, to get Van Ginkel, to get Cashman.”

The Vikings and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are in prime posit[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]ion to make a splash in free agency, with a projected $76 million available to them. That will allow them to re-sign and extend some core players while also going out and addressing some team needs.

Bringing Darnold back makes those two goals more challenging for a franchise that has shown efficiency in player management.

Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy is working his way back into the fold

Rookie J.J. McCarthy will miss the 2024 season but remains active off the field to stay on top of things.

The Minnesota Vikings are in quite the pickle regarding their quarterback situation in the future, or so it seems. Sam Darnold’s play has truly been remarkable. Despite that sudden emergence, Darnold has to know he is not the future for this franchise. In fact, the quarterback of the future is already making his way back into the fold.

Rookie J.J. McCarthy will miss the 2024 season but remains active off the field to stay on top of things.

In a recent report from Sports Illustrated, Albert Breer discussed that McCarthy was with the Vikings during their trip to Los Angeles for their Thursday night matchup. He also included that McCarthy meets with coach Kevin O’Connell in one-on-one meetings weekly.

McCarthy is also working on his way back to being back into football activities, not just the mental ones. He remains the future for this franchise, O’Connell is handling it the right way, let us hope that Darnold does as well as he begins to see him more around the building.

J.J. McCarthy to be honorary captain for Michigan vs. Oregon?

He’s gonna get an incredible ovation! #GoBlue

There won’t be many former Wolverines who go down in history more beloved than former quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

The three-time Big Ten champion and quarterback who led Michigan football to its first national championship since 1997 was a leader, a playmaker, and a favored son in the Ann Arbor vicinity. As a former five-star recruit, when the maize and blue were struggling in 2020, McCarthy beckoned Michigan fans to ‘take a deep breath’ and trust that the coaching staff would get things right. And he was right, in part, because he got on campus and took the offense to another level (as did running back Blake Corum).

Corum returned to The Big House for the first game since leaving on Saturday and now it appears that McCarthy is following suit. According to WXYZ’s Brad Galli, McCarthy will be an honorary captain for the Week 10 game against Oregon.

McCarthy is available to come to the game because he suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason for the Minnesota Vikings. McCarthy was selected by the Vikings with the No. 10 overall pick making him the first first-round NFL draft pick since his former head coach, Jim Harbaugh, was picked by the Bears in 1987.

Update:

Despite Galli’s report which came from his conversation with head coach Sherrone Moore, it appears that McCarthy won’t be able to make the game after all.

 

Will J.J. McCarthy play for the Vikings again this season? Here’s the latest on his injury.

Here’s what we know about his injury.

When the Minnesota Vikings took J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan with the No. 10 overall pick out of , there was some thought about the quarterback starting right away over Sam Darnold.

And while he may be on the sidelines with the team now, it’s a good time to remind you: he suffered a knee injury and had surgery for a torn meniscus back in August. It’s a season-ender for him, which means that even though you’re seeing him back with the team, he’s looking ahead to returning in 2025.

There you have it. But it’ll be nice to see him on the sidelines on Thursday night.

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