The Minnesota Vikings have confirmed the departure of a highly seasoned talent.
J.J. McCarthy isn’t even the Minnesota Vikings backup right now.
This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings sought to find their future quarterback. Whether Kirk Cousins returned or not, they needed to devise a succession strategy. J.J. McCarthy finished tenth overall. He is not guaranteed a starting spot, and as of today, he may not even be the second string.
This offseason, before choosing J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings signed veteran quarterback Sam Darnold. He, too, is a former first-round choice, and while his stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers were unsuccessful, there are grounds to believe his time in San Francisco with Kyle Shanahan got him back on track.
Kevin O’Connell can help Minnesota continue on its upward trend. Darnold will face the QB1 in minicamp in a few weeks, followed by training camp later this summer.
Is JJ McCarthy the Minnesota Vikings’ third quarterback?
Of course, there are ways to McCarthy starting games in 2024, but many of them include awful performances from Sam Darnold. More than likely, if the Vikings’ 26-year-old first-round selection performs well, their 21-year-old first-round pick will spend the majority of the season wearing a headset rather than helmet.
In actuality, JJ McCarthy must first overcome current QB2, Nick Mullins, before attempting to dethrone QB1. And, according to Will Ragatz (Sports Illustrated), it is far from guaranteed.
If McCarthy isn’t a starter by week one, Ragatz believes the Vikings will carry three quarterbacks into the season and drop JJ to QB3.
McCarthy served mostly as the third quarterback behind veterans Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens. When the squad split up for the day, Darnold and Mullens rotated with the starters while McCarthy and Jaren Hall worked with the younger guys and backups.
