This doesn’t come as much of a surprise after the Vikings made it clear this spring that McCarthy is being brought along slowly and is something of a long-term project who isn’t close to ready for the NFL game. Darnold, who was good in his last starting opportunity in Carolina two seasons ago, will have every chance to be Minnesota’s starter throughout 2024. “If Darnold is dominating, dishing the ball easily and limiting turnovers, and the Vikings are winning, why mess with the chemistry or team trajectory?” Lewis said, adding there’s a chance McCarthy won’t see any playing time as a rookie after being taken with the tenth pick in the 2024 draft. “Similarly, if Darnold is struggling, and the Vikings are not competitive, it’ll be difficult for O’Connell to quiet the noise for McCarthy.”

Lewis said McCarthy was much more accurate during Thursday’s practice than he had been early in the week, when he missed several routine throws while working on new footwork. The Vikings, Lewis said, want to “help him develop confidence. To allow him to try throws, make mistakes and learn. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff believe that’s the best path to long-term success, and everyone seems on board.” Sam Darnold, meanwhile, has taken all the first-team reps on OTAs and demonstrated good chemistry with Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson, Lewis said. Darnold is on track to start Week 1 for Minnesota barring an outstanding training camp and preseason from McCarthy.

The Vikings front office, in other words, did everything it could to move up and land Drake Maye. Instead, the stayed at pick 11 and took J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota’s aggressive offer undercuts the team’s insistence that McCarthy — who draft stock spiked in April — was their guy all along. “There were different points throughout the process where there were [offers],” said Elliott Wolf, New England’s director of scouting who has operated as the team’s de facto GM. “All along, we knew we were in a unique opportunity to get a quarterback that we liked.” The Patriots felt comfortable taking the somewhat unpolished Maye after offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt met with Maye and discussed the “outside zone scheme” he plans to run in New England. Maye’s questionable footwork, according to Fowler’s report, did not concern the Patriots.

A meteoric draft season “riser,” former five-star recruit and 2023 national champion McCarthy (6’3/219) was infamously treated like a game manager by the Wolverines. When he got the opportunity to actually showcase his skills, however, he played efficient, mistake-free football. That includes under pressure, where McCarthy was both extremely accurate as well as aggressive, rocking Pro Football Focus’ “big time throw rate” metric. Although his passing motion contains a slight hitch, McCarthy throws a clean, straight ball. He does not loft his passes, but rather cuts them through the air. That being said, he will never be accused of having elite arm strength. It is simply adequate. That is the case for most of McCarthy’s game, but (insert team) are obviously hoping he will be the ultimate “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” quarterback prospect. That includes as an athlete, where McCarthy tested well but was never a true dual-threat at Michigan. The floor is high. The ceiling is totally unknown. McCarthy has an elite pass-catching group in Minnesota, highlighted by the dominant Justin Jefferson, speedster Jordan Addison, and the ever-reliable T.J. Hockenson. In a pass-first Vikings offense, McCarthy could have immediate fantasy relevance if he takes the Week 1 starting job from veteran Sam Darnold.