The Minnesota Vikings chose this path for themselves.
But it isn’t a path without bumps in the road.
They opted to put all their eggs in J.J. McCarthy’s basket. The second-year quarterback missed his entire rookie season after a torn meniscus in August.
Now, he’s the unquestioned starter. The Vikings let Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones walk. They didn’t go after Aaron Rodgers for long.
It’s McCarthy’s offense to lead.
Is he ready?
ESPN’s Ben Solak wonders that in a new article this week:
“We shouldn’t overreact to anything we get in training camp, especially negative. The McCarthy we get in August won’t be the McCarthy we see in December, as a season’s worth of NFL action teaches some big lessons. But the Vikings are in a competitive division and harbor deep playoff aspirations. They only have so much leash to give a rookie, especially when you consider how easily Kevin O’Connell has made veteran quarterbacks shine in this offense. McCarthy’s health and confidence are about as big of a July storyline as you get in the NFL.”
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The allusion there to McCarthy’s leash not being unlimited, and the fact that O’Connell does well with veteran QBs, is especially intriguing.
Minnesota traded for Sam Howell during the draft to add a guy who has started NFL games.
There’s also the looming Kirk Cousins trade away from Atlanta that may happen at some point.
Clearly, the Vikings want McCarthy to prove he’s the man.
But if he doesn’t? A shakeup doesn’t seem impossible, based on what Solak writes.
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