Kevin O’Connell: The timing of JJ McCarthy becoming QB1 can’t be written on a chalkboard

Towards the end of Minnesota’s offseason, head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that veteran Sam Darnold would be the team’s starting quarterback for training camp, replacing rookie No. 10 overall pick JJ McCarthy.

But given McCarthy’s draft status, it’s clear the Michigan product will take over the QB1 role sooner rather than later.

In a long piece In an interview with ESPN’s Kevin Seifert chronicling the Vikings’ transition from Kirk Cousins ​​to McCarthy under O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the head coach noted that his previous experience coaching young QBs has made him more cautious. Because of that, O’Connell left the timetable open for McCarthy to become Minnesota’s starter.

O’Connell said McCarthy will be ready if “the comfort level that he has within our offense and his ability to then translate that into adverse situations and difficult aspects of playing quarterback in the NFL are not increased by inexperience.

“But I want to make it very clear that the expectation is that this player is not perfect. … He’s going to have growing pains, he’s going to learn as he plays. I try not to take that aspect out of it either, but (deciding when he’s going to play) is not something you can write on a board. It’s a feeling.”

In their two seasons together, O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah have compiled a 20-14 record with one NFC North title. Though the Vikings were still in the hunt for a postseason spot in 2023 despite Kirk Cousins’ Achilles injury, the team still finished 7-10. In the NFL, it’s not out of the question that O’Connell’s job status could be in doubt with a poor record in 2024.

But O’Connell said his priority is to put McCarthy in the best position to succeed.

“It’s just more about what’s best for the organization,” O’Connell said. “Those circumstances can’t affect JJ’s development plan or any other player on the team. It just can’t be something that selfishly ever affects that decision.

“That’s not really going to change because I don’t know if it’s the former quarterback in me or not, but I do feel an obligation to keep the best interests of not only JJ, but our entire team in mind when we make that decision.”