Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was able to play only one preseason game during his rookie year.
But as he detailed this week, he still gained a lot from sitting and watching things unfold over the course of 2024 — particularly from now-Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold had the best year of his career, which he parlayed into a three-year contract with Seattle as a free agent. But along the way, McCarthy was able to pick up plenty from the No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft.
“Just being a true pro,” McCarthy said in his press conference this week when asked what he learned from Darnold. “Showing up, being the same guy every single day. It didn’t matter if he had four touchdowns one week or had a not-so-great game the other week. He showed up, and he was the same guy every day. And that’s the biggest thing I took from him.”
Darnold completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the regular season last year, good for a passer rating of 102.5.
Andrew Van Ginkel’s first season with the Vikings went about as well as anyone could have hoped.
The edge rusher was voted a second-team All-Pro after recording 79 tackles, 11.5 sacks, two interception returns for touchdowns, six passes defensed, and a forced fumble. It was the first time that Van Ginkel, who signed a two-year deal after leaving the Dolphins, started every game and the Vikings made it clear this week that they think more of the same is coming.
Van Ginkel signed a one-year, $23 million extension with the team and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told Paul Allen of KFAN Wednesday that having Van Ginkel locked up through 2026 was always his desire.
“In free agency, we actually tried to sign him to a three-year deal,” Adofo-Mensah said. “There was another team that came in and offered a two-year deal that we had to compete with. You always want the longer-term deal as much as possible, knowing that if he plays well, this is the type of thing you’re gonna be able to do. We were excited to add a year and really, to reward him for the year he had so he would make more money this year.”
The original deal likely would have called for Van Ginkel to make less in 2026, but the trade off is one the Vikings are likely happy to make given how much Van Ginkel provides to the defense.
After agreeing to terms with 19 undrafted free agents over the weekend, the Vikings have added another.
Minnesota announced on Wednesday that the club has agreed to terms with UDFA receiver Myles Price.
Price played four seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to Indiana in 2024. He caught 38 passes for 466 yards with three touchdowns in his final collegiate season. He also averaged 12.6 yards on 23 punt returns.
In 42 games for Texas Tech, Price caught 161 passes for 1,751 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also rushed for 207 yards on 26 carries with a pair of TDs.
While being a first-year starter isn’t easy, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy does get the benefit of playing with one of the league’s best receivers.
Justin Jefferson has been rewriting the record books in his first five seasons, even eclipsing 1,000 yards in 2023 despite missing seven games due to injury.
McCarthy explained to reporters on Tuesday that the way to establish good chemistry with Jefferson isn’t complicated.
“More reps, the better,” McCarthy said in his press conference. “On the field, off the field, as much time as I can to spend around him. But he’s such a phenomenal talent, and once in a generation type talent that it’s more just you gotta not adapt your game to him, but you gotta understand like it’s going to take reps and reps and reps to feel his routes in and out of the break.
“But he’s just so special, so I just can’t wait to get to work with him every single day.”
Last season, Jefferson caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards, tying his career high with 10 touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Pro, Pro Bowler, and finished No. 7 in offensive player of the year voting.
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy feels ready to take over the starting job after recovering from the knee injury that wiped out his rookie season and his teammates appear to agree that McCarthy has what it takes to handle the job.
The Vikings are still in the first phase of their offseason program, but several veteran Vikings players noted the energy that McCarthy is bringing to the building each day. Right tackle Brian O’Neill called it “infectious” and safety Josh Metellus said that McCarthy matches that energy with a great deal of poise.
“To have poise the way he does, I think it goes a long way, especially for a team — especially for the leader of a team,” Metellus said, via the team’s website. “For our quarterback to not even [have stepped] on the field yet and already have that poise, that energy when he walks in the building, is very special. I could talk about his abilities on the field all day . . . but for a guy to be the person he is in the building is something to look forward to.”
The on-field skills will be another significant part of the puzzle, but McCarty seems to have the intangibles it will take for him to succeed in his new role.
