Vikings Rookie QB J.J. McCarthy Reacts to Backing Up Sam Darnold

While Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is encouraging a quarterback competition at training camp, he named Sam Darnold the starter to open camp, aligning with Vikings’ methodical approach to developing rookie J.J. McCarthy.

McCarthy addressed on the final day of spring workouts his status as a backup, calling it a “blessing” despite his desire to compete and rise as the team’s future franchise quarterback.

“Being the competitor that I am, of course,” McCarthy said June 12 when asked about his desire to start as soon as possible. “But this is such a blessing for me. I grew up watching Sam Darnold my entire life, being able to just sit there and watch him, Nick [Mullens], Jaren [Hall] — it’s not what they say to me, it’s what they do and just being a sponge and observing them.

“Hopefully one day surpassing them, but right now, they’re just phenomenal human beings… sharing their wisdom with me,” he said. “I just can’t thank them enough for that and I can’t wait for training camp.”

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J.J. McCarthy Speaks on His Growth With Vikings

Selected 10th overall in April’s draft, McCarthy has been drinking from a firehose since arriving in Minnesota.

The Vikings have broken down his mechanics and are building him back up, starting with his footwork. McCarthy has made strides throughout a learning period during which O’Connell has encouraged him to take risks, throw into tight windows and get a feel for the speed of the NFL.

Coverage of minicamps has shown McCarthy’s highs and lows, both of which are largely blown out of proportion. But what has remained consistent is McCarthy, who has ridden the learning curve of the NFL with a growth mentality.

“Growth is not a straight line. It goes up, it goes down, it goes up, it goes down, but I’m trying to maintain the trajectory of going up and up,” he said. “I feel like I’m on that and I’ve been attacking every day with a growth mindset and it’s been doing me well so far.”

While many NFL veterans are headed to summer getaways before training camp begins in late July, McCarthy said he’d be staying in Minnesota — playing a little golf — to continue improving his game.

“I’m going to be in the facility as much as I can focusing on building habits that I can rely on when it starts getting hectic and crazy in training camp,” McCarthy said. “I’m just going to be here working my butt off.”

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Kevin O’Connell Touts Vikings Rookie J.J. McCarthy’s Consistency

McCarthy’s humility was on display in his final interview before the summer break — and it wasn’t just a front for the cameras.

O’Connell noted the 21-year-old maturity and consistency throughout the spring, which came as no surprise considering the amount of homework the Vikings did on McCarthy before drafting the Michigan product.

“No matter how it goes, whether it’s a really positive day or there’s a few plays that he wants back, he’s going to authentically be himself every day. He’s never gonna get too high, never gonna get too low, which are cliches in the quarterback world, but they are for a reason what they are,” O’Connell said. “If your quarterback is kind of riding that roller coaster emotionally day in and day out, there’s a good chance your team, especially your offense is probably doing the same thing.”

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