Many are waiting to see what the Minnesota Vikings do to improve their team despite being 6-0 ahead of the trade deadline. Nonetheless, the Vikings already made one move well before the Nov. 10 deadline, which was securing a Day 3 pick from the New York Giants for J.J. McCarthy.
Moreover, after two impressive weeks from McCarthy, the conversation has turned to what went wrong in Minnesota. Were the Vikings too impatient to allow for the young quarterback to go through the growing pains, or was the system from head coach Kevin O’Connell not the right fit?
Amid McCarthy’s success so far in New York, former NFL head coach Jason Garrett shared what went wrong during the quarterback’s stint with the Vikings and why he’s been able to turn it around since the trade to the Giants.
“Sometimes it’s about a clean slate,” Garrett said during an Oct. 30 appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “Oftentimes, these guys go to a place where there’s a lot of expectation, and it doesn’t work out right at the outset. They can never get out from under that experience, and it just kind of builds on itself. People outside the building start saying, ‘We picked the wrong guy. We should have taken this guy.’
“Sometimes, for a young quarterback who really hasn’t played that much football yet, certainly at that level, it’s hard for them to grow and develop the way they need to in that place. Then people in the building start looking around, wondering if they have the right guy or if they should have taken the other guy. Maybe inside, you don’t feel the belief around you that helps you grow and develop like you need to.”
Why J.J. McCarthy Has Found New Life in New York
Furthermore, Garrett went into more detail regarding why McCarthy has been able to find success right out of the gate, which he only showed flashes of in Minnesota, and caused the front office to sign Kyler Murray after being a starter for one season.
“Then someone says, ‘Hey, we want you. We’re trading for you. We need you.’ You go to that new place, and it’s fresh and clean, and there’s a history there,” Garrett added. “Jim Harbaugh and John Harbaugh say, ‘We’re going to play to your strengths,’ and you feel new life. We should know better about this quarterback position.
“It’s rare for a rookie quarterback to come in and dominate right from the start. It just doesn’t happen that much. All these guys take their lumps, and for him, it’s a new place. They’ve embraced him. They need him. I think the other part is you learn and grow from your scars.”
Vikings Weren’t the Right Place for J.J. McCarthy
Meanwhile, Giants tackle Jermaine Eluemunor stated his theory as to why McCarthy couldn’t find consistent success with the Vikings, leading to the team giving up on him and cutting their losses.
“You could say that [McCarthy didn’t have a coach that believed in him with the Vikings], or it could be that just wasn’t for him,” Eluemunor said in an Oct. 28 video from “Up & Adams.” “Minnesota just wasn’t the place for him. Baltimore wasn’t for me. New England wasn’t for me. Vegas was for me. New York is for me.
“I feel like life is a journey, and the NFL is a journey. Everyone likes to say, ‘Oh, this guy’s a journeyman. This guy’s a journeyman.’ I did go on a journey to find where I belonged, and I belong in New York. J.J. is on his own path, his own journey right now to find where he belongs.”
J.J. McCarthy Gets Candid Take on Vikings Stint Amid Giants Success