J.J. McCarthy
Brett Rypien
The two quarterbacks have combined for 168 pass attempts and 98 completions. They also combine for four touchdowns and nine interceptions. All of those numbers belong to Brett Rypien.
Two weeks into March, it’s an unusual situation when an NFL team’s projected starting quarterback is on the roster and that quarterback has no regular season stats.
The Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to be the quarterback of the future. He may have been the quarterback of the team’s present if he hadn’t left a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders with a torn meniscus. Instead, the Vikings get Sam Darnold with a breakout season. The Vikings won 14 games and the best quarterback on the roster missed his rookie season.
It’s so easy to compare the Vikings current quarterback situation with that of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018.
In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs traded a bushel of picks for the 10th pick. J.J. McCarthy and Patrick Mahomes were selected with the 10th pick of their respective drafts. Mahomes sat until the final week. In his lone start, he played like a talented rookie that sat for 15 weeks. He completed 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards. One interception, zero touchdowns. Rookie stuff. After an early playoff exit, the Chiefs shipped starter Alex Smith to Washington. Mahomes was the unquestioned starter going into his second season.
Like Sam Darnold in 2024, Alex Smith played very well in 2017. Each ended their respective seasons with a frustrating, first-round playoff loss. There was promise for both moving forward with their teams. The difference between the two situations was that no talking heads seemed to question the Chiefs moving on to Patrick Mahomes. Every talking head seems to question the Vikings moving on to J.J. McCarthy. Pre-franchise tag deadline, there was no end to the discussions that the Vikings should secure Darnold with the tag. After the Vikings declined that route, there was no end to the discussions that the Vikings should re-sign Darnold in advance of the free agency. After Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks, there was no end to the discussions that the Vikings should sign an ancient, cancerous Aaron Rodgers. Why? Signing Rodgers would have the potential to wreck a culture and environment that’s taken three years to create. In 2022, the Vikings put together a plan to get to this point and now they trash it. Why? Kevin O’Connell and his coaches got an unbelievable season out of Sam Darnold. Who’s to say they can’t do the same with another talented, young quarterback. The Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft to be their quarterback of the future. At some point, the quarterback of the future has to become the quarterback of the present.
The Vikings do need another quarterback. Preferably a veteran quarterback with starting experience. That quarterback is not Aaron Rodgers. I’d rather that quarterback be Kevin O’Connell or Josh McCown than Rodgers. Joe Flacco? Carson Wentz? Ryan Tannehill? Aidan O’Connell? I’d be happy with any of them. I’d rather bring back Case Keenum than Rodgers. I’d rather the Vikings have an 85-year old Fran Tarkenton back up J.J. McCarthy than Aaron Rodgers.
It’s J.J. McCarthy’s time.
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