Quarterback JJ McCarthy will reportedly sign his NFL rookie contract with the Minnesota Vikings on Friday, which will be a four-year, $21.85 million deal that is fully guaranteed. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
McCarthy, the Michigan product whom the Vikings selected No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, will receive a $12.71 million signing bonus and the contract will come with a fifth-year team option.
With the Chicago Bears signing No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and the Vikings handling McCarthy, that leaves Vikings outside linebacker Dallas Turner and Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Amarius Mims as the only two players from the 2024 NFL Draft class who are unsigned as training camps begin.
While the Vikings acquired McCarthy in the draft, he is not expected to open training camp as the team’s starter. Earlier this month, head coach Kevin O’Connell said Sam Darnold’s performance in organized team activities earned the veteran quarterback the No. 1 spot for now.
In O’Connell’s eyes, McCarthy, who was a two-year starter for the Wolverines, is a work in progress as He told ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
“But I want to make it very clear that the expectation is that this player is not going to be perfect,” O’Connell said. “He’s going to have growing pains, he’s going to learn on the fly. I’m not trying to take that away, either, but (deciding when he’ll play) is not something you can write on a whiteboard. It’s a feeling.”
McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns while leading Michigan to a national title in the 2023 season.
The Vikings begin their preseason schedule on August 10 and will open the 2024 NFL season on September 8 against the New York Giants.
