The Minnesota Vikings overhauled their quarterback room this offseason by signing Sam Darnold and selecting J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and both will have big shoes to fill after the team let Kirk Cousins sign with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
Another former Vikings QB is a big fan of McCarthy and believes the national champion from Michigan has a big future ahead of him.
Brad Johnson heaped praise on McCarthy in a recent appearance on the “Minnesota Tim” podcast, saying, “The kid’s only had success in his life…tough kid, makes all the throws and still young…if I had a choice last year in the draft for where I wanted it to go, it would’ve been the Minnesota Vikings. I think J.J. is in a great situation.”
Johnson is right about McCarthy stepping into a great situation, with an innovative offensive head coach, a solid offensive line, an elite tight end and arguably the game’s best wide receiver as well as an outstanding young No. 2 wideout.
McCarthy might not be the Vikings’ starter right away, but whenever he does take over, he’ll be surrounded by everything a young quarterback could want in order to achieve success right away.
Darnold will also get the benefit of playing in this situation, and it’s the first time he’ll have a real chance to potentially thrive, so it will be interesting to see if he can pull a Baker Mayfield and make the most of this opportunity to revive his career.
