QB Dilemma: Vikings QB Faces Shocking New Obstacle on His Unprecedented Journey

Discussions in the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback room have centered primarily on what will happen to Sam Darnold. However, An important member of the team’s development will be a determining element in the Vikings’ decision-making.

McCarthy completed all of OTAs and training camp, but he suffered a torn meniscus that necessitated two surgeries to fix and then treat swelling in the knee.

McCarthy is anticipated to be ready for OTAs, but he must first clear one additional hurdle.

“McCarthy dropped more than 20 pounds this fall,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert said on January 25. “McCarthy has plenty of time to restore his weight before OTA workouts this spring. However, his appearance served as a visual representation of the neutral terms used by Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell last week when debating his near future.

 

Seifert observed that weight loss is prevalent among athletes following injury recuperation. McCarthy is one of two quarterbacks under contract with the Vikings in 2025. The other is veteran backup Brett Rypien, which makes the Vikings’ investigation much more urgent.

Insider: J.J. McCarthy Vikings’ ‘1st Priority’

Vikings Get Concerning J.J. McCarthy News After Injury - Athlon Sports

The Vikings have a decision window from February 18 to March 4 to decide whether to use the franchise tag for Darnold. The new NFL league year begins on March 12, at which point Darnold will be free to sign with any team as a free agent.

However, teams can begin discussing contracts on March 10, indicating an agreement might be reached long in advance of its official announcement.

Before that date, the Vikings need to review McCarthy’s status.

“Their first priority is to assess McCarthy’s capacity for a quick ascension,” Siefert wrote. “There isn’t much precedent for projecting McCarthy’s next step. He was the first quarterback in the NFL’s modern draft era (since 1967) to miss his entire rookie season because of injury after being selected in the first round.”

The good news for McCarthy is that he is on schedule for his expected comeback, and he had pleased the coaches sufficiently that it was thought he may have overtaken Darnold at some point during the year.

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