Step No. 1 in becoming QB1, for any quarterback, is just knowing you’re QB1 — knowing your team has your back, knowing they’re putting their full faith in your game and your ability. Mindset, worldview, drive and determination are all necessary to become QB1, but you know what’s even more necessary? Getting the actual job itself.
J.J. McCarthy, by all outward appearances, should be QB1 for the Vikings. He should have the keys to the purple Lamborghini, the support of his entire organization, the knowledge that he’s The Man heading into 2025.
And yet …
McCarthy on Tuesday told FanDuel’s Kay Adams that the Minnesota starting quarterback job isn’t yet his — this despite the Vikings letting Sam Darnold walk and not signing another viable veteran quarterback to replace him. McCarthy still doesn’t know if he’ll be Minnesota’s Week 1 starter … at least, not officially.
“They haven’t told me. I’m happy they didn’t because I try to earn it every single day,” McCarthy told Adams. “I never want that to be given to me. It’s such a privilege and opportunity to give me that chance, and I’m just gonna make the most of it every single day.”
On one hand, that’s a pretty straightforward motivational ploy. You want the job? You gotta earn it. Entitlement leads to overconfidence, and NFL defenses salivate when they see a young, overconfident quarterback.
But the earn-it gambit would be a whole lot more effective if Minnesota had any quarterback on the roster besides Brett Rypien, a well-traveled practice squadder who’s only played in 10 games in his career … and none at all last season. All due respect to Mr. Rypien, but he’s not likely to challenge McCarthy for the starting job.
Signing a veteran QB to back up/challenge/supplant McCarthy — pick your employment choice — would just be good business for Minnesota, regardless of appearances, as Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson wrote last week. McCarthy tore a meniscus and lost the entire season to the injury; the state of any quarterback’s return would be an open question after that.
Plus, there’s the fact that McCarthy is still, functionally, a rookie — a rookie who got an up-close look at his future job, yes, but a rookie without live NFL game experience yet. Sheer prudence would seem to dictate that Minnesota bring in some experience to help McCarthy’s transition to the pro game. Plus, should Minnesota experience a Carolina/Indianapolis-esque struggle at the quarterback position, a ready-out-of-the-box vet could keep the team from losing an entire season while McCarthy figures it all out.
Enter Aaron Rodgers, like it or not. Rodgers, along with Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson, presents — on paper — an attractive case for a veteran presence to pair with McCarthy, a seen-it-all Jedi master who can give McCarthy a look at the intangibles necessary to succeed in the NFL.
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Rodgers has been running silent for weeks, even as offers from the Giants and Steelers await his consideration. The Vikings seemed to be out of the running … but then, why haven’t they taken themselves out of the running, beyond a soft no through the media? Between that and the lack of certainty for McCarthy, it’s a curious message to send, consciously or not.
It’s entirely possible the Vikings are simply playing the long game here both with McCarthy and Rodgers. We’re still in March, after all, and kickoff is more than five months away. Plus, keeping a provisional starting quarterback hungry while you assess his readiness is a defensible personnel management strategy.
But free agents are like homes; the longer they sit on the market, the more everyone’s going to wonder why they’re still on the market. And the longer that Minnesota leaves a door open for Rodgers, the more that the cold, costly draft of speculation will rush in. The sooner that McCarthy knows whether he’s QB1 or not, the faster he can prepare himself for his role. With a team as talented top-to-bottom as Minnesota, and a division as fierce as the NFC North, the Vikings need to lock down and lock in as early as they can.
