J.J. McCarthy Sounds Off On Vikings Coach After First Practice

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy had his first practice earlier this week, and he is already getting some fine mentorship from a former NFL signal-caller.

Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, who spent 18 seasons in the league, was in McCarthy’s ear throughout the entire practice session and gave him feedback after every throw.

McCarthy spoke about the help from McCown and seems to be loving the assistance, especially when it came to one specific throw McCarthy threw toward the sideline.

The throw reminded McCown of a mistake he made during his own playing days, and he made sure to give McCarthy some pointers on what to do and what not to do in that type of situation.

“It helps so much because he has that experience and those NFL scars,” McCarthy said, via Kevin Seiftert of ESPN. “That’s a far throw. He’s talking about his process and going back to his mistake he made against Aqib Talib and chasing him down to the end zone. It’s like learning from his mistakes, and he’s so vocal about it. It’s just invaluable, and I really appreciate it.”

McCarthy, who played his collegiate football at the University of Michigan, was selected by Minnesota with the 10th overall pick of the NFL Draft late last month.

The Vikings actually traded up one spot just to bag the 21-year-old.

McCarthy is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he led Michigan to a national championship while throwing for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. He completed 72.3 percent of his passes. Plus, he rushed for 202 yards and three scores.

The La Grange Park, Il. native has been lauded by some for his intangibles, but many others have expressed concern over his physical limitations heading into the professional ranks.

McCarthy will certainly be entering a fine situation in Minnesota, as he will have a couple of terrific receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at his disposal. Additionally, he will be throwing to tight end T.J. Hockenson. That’s one heck of a trio of pass-catchers for an incoming rookie.

As a result, many have pegged McCarthy as an Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate going into 2024.

McCarthy was the fifth quarterback off the board in the draft class. We’ll see if he is able to take advantage of his enviable circumstances with the Vikings.