- Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell
Sometimes, no one failed. Sometimes, it simply doesn’t work out.
The Minnesota Vikings selected quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Yesterday, the Vikings traded McCarthy to the New York Giants for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
As one of the few fans that still believes in J.J. McCarthy’s potential, I’m disappointed in the trade. If I’m forced to be realistic with the situation, I get it. Really, I have no choice but to get it. If one were so evil as to script a horror-filled, initial two-plus years for a young quarterback, it might be McCarthy’s start with the Vikings. He lost his rookie season to a torn meniscus suffered in his first preseason game. Anointed the starter in his second season, three separate injuries forced him to bounce between the field and sideline throughout the season. McCarthy was never on the field consistently enough to establish any consistency. Still, he managed to start 10 games and lead his team to a 6-4 record in those games. It might not always have been pretty but the first starts of a young quarterback often aren’t always pretty. Ultimately, only wins matter and McCarthy won more than he lost. For what it’s worth, the Vikings selected Christian Ponder with the 12th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. He was given three seasons to prove his worth as the starter. He never showed anything close to the potential in those three seasons that McCarthy showed in those 10 games. As the head coach, it’s probably safe to assume that Kevin O’Connell has a higher standard for quarterbacks than Leslie Frazier. Going into McCathy’s third season, the Vikings signed Kyler Murray to compete for the starting job. Neither quarterback really separated himself from the other. It felt that experience was the tiebreaker and Murray had that. The “lost” quarterback competition was the beginning of McCarthy’s end in Minnesota. I hoped that it wasn’t but I felt that it was. When the Vikings released Alan Page early in the 1978 season, I was forced to understand that my feelings on a player simple don’t matter. It’d be a beautiful thing if all of your favorite players could stay with your favorite team forever. It might not be a successful thing but it’d be a beautiful thing.
After news broke of the J.J. McCarthy trade, Kevin O’Connell and general manager Nolan Teasley addressed the media. Both addressed sentiments that they believe McCarthy’s NFL story has yet to be written, that they believe he has the potential to succeed. If they truly believe any of that, why trade him? The truth is that the Vikings decision-makers no longer believed that J.J. McCarthy has the potential to be the team’s long-term answer at the all-important quarterback position. Agree or disagree, they should know better than any of us. I’ve been waiting since Fran Tarkenton retired in 1978 for the Vikings to draft their next long-term franchise quarterback. For nearly 50 years, I’ve wanted the next drafted quarterback to be that quarterback. Tommy Kramer, Steve Dils, Wade Wilson, Rich Gannon (technically, the Vikings traded for Gannon but they still got him as a rookie), Brad Johnson, Daunte Culpepper, Christian Ponder, Teddy Bridgewater, J.J. McCarthy. I wanted every damn one of them to be Tarkenton’s heir. Most showed potential. A few showed great potential. Without fail, the future of each was wrecked by injuries. The Vikings quarterback story since Fran Tarkenton has been so frustrating. J.J. McCarthy is simply the latest quarterback in that story.
The media and many fans want to blame someone for the failure of the Vikings - McCarthy union. Why does there always have to be someone to blame? The situation with team and player on draft day is very different than the situation today. Teams would have a much better success rate if the draft was done in hindsight but you can’t redo something that’s already been done. If McCarthy hadn’t missed his rookie season and missed time during his second season, I believe that he’d be the starter this season. But it really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what I believe. Those injuries happened. That can’t be undone. McCarthy’s time as a Vikings quarterback was disrupted too often for him to ever get comfortable in the job. Is that anyone’s fault? The only way to prevent injuries in football is to never play. No one failed at their job. The draft is always a risk, a gamble. The Vikings took a shot with J.J. McCarthy. It simply didn’t work.
I’m disappointed in the trade. Mostly because another first-round quarterback didn’t become the Vikings next franchise quarterback. I’m also disappointed in the fifth-round return. Then again, I’m often surprised by the compensation in most NFL trades.
Moving forward, best of luck J.J. McCarthy. Unless the Minnesota Vikings are involved. Thank you for the fun of the ten games that you played.
No comments:
Post a Comment