Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Gets Honest on Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy’s Future
Sam Darnold has excelled at Minnesota Vikings spring workouts, but it’s only a matter of time before J.J. McCarthy takes over — and that may be sooner than expected after head coach Kevin O’Connell said he’s not afraid of McCarthy facing some adversity.
In an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” on June 10, O’Connell discussed his strategy for McCarthy, giving the 21-year-old some credit for his potential to compete in training camp but also setting a higher standard for himself when it comes to adjusting to the system.
“We have a long-term plan for J.J., but we also have a competitive training camp planned.” We envision him as our quarterback of the future, and it will really depend on how he goes about achieving that goal and proving that he is completely at ease in the system when that happens, according to O’Connell.
McCarthy has had his highs and lows throughout his first spring in the NFL while Darnold has been the more polished quarterback and is poised to start training camp leading the first-team offense.
O’Connell did, however, demonstrate that he isn’t scared of McCarthy gaining experience as the team’s starter on the fly.
“We won’t be able to control every aspect of the natural learning environment that is playing quarterback in the NFL, so it’s good to expose him to some things as he grows and develops,” O’Connell continued. However, we want to make sure that J.J. is confident enough in his abilities to attack this thing for more than 17 [games] and that, when adversity does arise, he will do so by attacking it correctly from a foundation that we have built up over a significant period of time.
J.J. McCarthy Exceeding Early Expectations of Vikings, O’Connell
At McCarthy’s first day of practice in Minnesota, O’Connell immediately cautioned reporters to not buy into too much of what they were seeing. McCarthy was encouraged to throw into tight windows, throw contested balls and get a feel for the timing of the next level.
“I know some folks may be keeping track of completions and interceptions and things like that,” O’Connell joked after practice, calling rookie minicamps a “total learning environment.”
Early Observations From Vikings QBs Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy
The biggest surprise of McCarthy so far has been his arm strength.
“Super windy day @Vikings mini camp, and QB JJ McCarthy’s passes cut through it like the cliched knife through butter,” KFAN’s Paul Allen wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Holy cow does he have wonderful arm talent. #SkolFastballs.”
