The Minnesota Vikings will head into the offseason with a question mark at quarterback. J.J. McCarthy appears to be their guy going forward, but Minnesota need to find another quarterback, whether it’s one that can challenge McCarthy or at the very least be a reliable backup.
Several quarterbacks via trade or free agency will be linked to the Vikings over the next couple of months. Nonetheless, one name that appears unlikely to return to Minnesota is Daniel Jones.
Jones, who spent last season with the Vikings, opted to sign with the Indianapolis Colts in hopes of winning the starting job, which he did. However, he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles injury in Week 14.
Despite the injury and potential for Minnesota to sign him as a low-cost insurance QB, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter stated on December 29 that he expects Jones to re-sign with the Colts rather than test the market as an unrestricted free agent.
“I think [the Colts] are banking on Daniel Jones being back, and I do think that they’ll re-sign him,” Schefter said during a December 29 appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “And I do think he’ll be ready for the start of the season. And if that’s the case, then the Colts don’t need to sign Malik Willis.”
Vikings Give J.J. McCarthy Update for Week 18
Amid the questions surrounding McCarthy, the Vikings’ young signal-caller might not play heading into the final game of the season due to his hand injury, to at least give the team’s front office one last impression to believe in him.
“Swelling in that hand has come down a little bit,” O’Connell said on December 29 while talking to reporters. “Really, it’s just gonna be about working through it this week and seeing what his grip strength is like and if he can possibly give it a go this week. That will be something I’ll keep you guys posted on.”
As a result, Minnesota will only have a handful of games to determine what type what type of backup quarterback they want to bring in the offseason. While the Vikings might like Max Brosmer, he cannot be QB2 if something were to happen to McCarthy.
Vikings Appear to Be Backing J.J. McCarthy
While it’s a mystery who the Vikings will pursue as QB2 or as a challenger to McCarthy, Minnesota doesn’t sound ready to pull the plug on the Michigan product. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had positive comments regarding McCarthy’s first season as the starting quarterback.
“There’s just been growth moments,” Adofo-Mensah said during the December 23 edition of “X’s and O’s with Kevin O’Connell.” “I try and make sure that my dialogue with him is incredibly positive because, if you think about this world, you got the external world who’s always going to be negative and then you’ve got coaching who are going to be positive, but they’re also going to coach them.
“I try and always make sure I’m highlighting, ‘Hey man, this is a great thing that I’m seeing you’re doing.’ Things like playing really up in the pocket. A lot of young quarterbacks, when they get pressure in their face, they’re trying to bail out the back. He’s very good about getting up in the pocket either to make scrambles or make good decisions.”
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