Vikings Break Silence on Plans for J.J. McCarthy, GM Vows to Keep Hands ‘Clean’

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Quarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings have bet their franchise on rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, begging the question of how long the team will wait to hand him the reins to its high-octane offense.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addressed that query on Friday, April 27.

“We’re not going to rush his development,” Adofo-Mensah said, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “We’re just going to do what’s best for the Vikings in the short and long term.”

The GM’s comments don’t rule out the possibility of McCarthy starting Week 1 of his first NFL campaign. However, the team signed former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold to a one-year contract worth $10 million this offseason, presumably to avoid forcing a rookie QB into the role of starter before he’s ready.

Vikings Refuse to Contribute to J.J. McCarthy’s Failure

GettyGeneral manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (left) and head coach Kevin O’Connell (right) of the Minnesota Vikings.

Adofo-Mensah didn’t name names, but he did allude to so-called busts from past drafts and asserted outright that front offices and coaching staffs played significant roles in the failures of those players.

As such, he and head coach Kevin O’Connell intend to keep “clean” hands throughout McCarthy’s development process.

We talked about these things. Not just, “What do we want to do from a culture standpoint?” But, “How do you evaluate quarterbacks? How do you grow quarterbacks? How do you develop them?” And the things [O’Connell] talked about is the reason why I have so much faith in him to take and mold a player like [McCarthy] … into that player we want him to be.

A lot of times when we go back over history and say, “These quarterbacks have missed,” there’s a lot of hands that are dirty in that regard. And we’re going to make sure that our hands are clean and give him the best opportunity [we] can to be the best player he can be in this offense.

Vikings Among ‘Winners’ of NFL Draft After Landing J.J. McCarthy, Avoiding Trade of 1st-Round Pick

GettyFormer Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

The Vikings were praised more or less universally for their work in the first round of the draft, which included landing McCarthy at No. 10 and edge rusher Dallas Turner at No. 17 via a couple of trades that didn’t require Minnesota to fork over multiple first-round picks (or even one).

“All along, McCarthy was linked to the Vikings. And all along, we thought they might have to give up their other first-round pick — No. 23 — to get him,” Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN wrote, naming Minnesota among his big winners of the draft’s first night. “Instead, though, they patiently waited. They traded up one spot with the [New York] Jets, got their guy and kept the No. 23 pick. That’s a huge win.”

Kiper also praised O’Connell and the offensive roster that the organization has built around the QB position, naming both as reasons for optimism about McCarthy’s future.

“McCarthy, who finished No. 15 in my rankings, is going to a great spot,” Kiper continued. “Coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings will put him in position to succeed. Plus, he’s going to be throwing passes to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.”