The future of J.J. McCarthy with the Minnesota Vikings might be uncertain heading into the final preseason game against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 28 at Empower Field at Mile High.
“Are you sure he’s a bust?” Mackey said. “Because a lot of people are convinced that J.J. McCarthy is a dud. He’s a bust. Are people not even slightly worried about the Vikings potentially bailing on him before the season?
“… That’s my only question: Are you not a little worried that this whole process is going to come back to bite the Vikings and look really bad in like two years?”
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Has Flashed His Potential to Succeed
Moreover, Mackey states that the Vikings’ fixation with the present might cloud their judgment about whether McCarthy can be a starting QB down the road. The Vikings’ QB has flashed his potential last season, and giving up on that and not looking to develop him is what worries Mackey.
“You saw the fourth quarter against Chicago, the throws at Detroit to dagger the Lions,” Mackey added. “I know Dallas and Washington didn’t have the best defenses, but they scored 65 points in those two games.
“With McCarthy, aren’t you a little bit worried that everyone’s just punting on this 23-year-old because this franchise is always so perpetually stuck in the now versus maybe the big picture and the development?
“I get why they’re doing it if it keeps heading in this direction, but I would just say don’t be shocked if, in like two years, in a different environment, this dude taps into a lot of the good stuff that we did see from him last year.”
Will J.J. McCarthy Have to Find Success Elsewhere?
Furthermore, McCarthy is in another QB battle with veteran Carson Wentz to determine who will be QB2 behind Kyler Murray. Initially, many assumed this role would be McCarthy’s, but now he’s splitting second-team reps with Wentz.
On the same “Purple Daily” show, Judd Zulgad noted that if McCarthy does figure it out at the NFL level, it more than likely won’t be in Minnesota.
“I think the issue is we’re never going to find out with McCarthy and Purple. “… There is clearly a ton going on behind the scenes that we don’t know. It feels like friction. Something feels off… I don’t think they keep him here and then it just slow cooks and everybody sings Kumbaya, and now J.J. McCarthy’s 28 years old and, oh my God, he’s great here.
“It just feels like the fit was really bad, and I don’t know if that can be blamed on Kevin O’Connell, on J.J. McCarthy or on a combination of people. But it just doesn’t, and I feel like you were at enough practices, too. There is just a vibe that came from the entire situation that felt like oil and water.”
Vikings Receive Blunt J.J. McCarthy Warning After Latest Twist