The 2024 NFL season has not even begun and fans are already facing a heavy blow for the year. Highly rated rookie quarterback prospect JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings was ruled out for the season owing to a torn right meniscus.
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This unforeseen circumstance has put the spotlight on backup quarterback Sam Darnold. The former 3rd overall pick might not be a fan favorite but he finds a kinship and support in ace wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Scoop City host Dianna Russini asked Jefferson what he makes of Sam Darnold’s prospects as a starter. Considering both McCarthy and Darnold were new additions to the Vikings setup, the WR admitted that he doesn’t know them in depth to share interesting idiosyncrasies.
However based on his experience in training with the former Jets quarterback, Jefferson expressed his awe at the cannon of an arm that Sam possesses. The highest paid WR noted to the host that be it go-passes or passes from the deep, Darnold’s pin point accuracy has pleasantly taken him by surprise.
He also praised the backup QB for his extra efforts to gel well with the rest of the team.
“Very surprising you know [on Sam’s strong arms]. It is my first time being around Sam and having him throw to me, to see the balls that he throws, especially the go balls, the deep balls that that he throws…
..it was right in the hands and it feels like a soft pillow. So he’s been doing a great job and just trying to learn and try to you know build that chemistry with the whole team.”
Such glowing praises for Sam from a team leader like Justin must be music to the ears for the Vikings faithful. However, at this point in time, nothing can beat the disappointment stemming from the high hopes that Minnesota fans had for their star rookie.
Even if McCarthy wouldn’t have set the league on fire this season, just the experience of the rookie season would have been a massive learning curve. But luckily for Vikings fans, they don’t have to worry about JJ’s growth from the sidelines as Justin Jefferson has promised to involve the rookie throughout the season.
“He’s Going To Be In That Building Around Us” – Justin Jefferson Assures JJ McCarthy’s Growth
After praising Darnold, Jefferson shed light on what made McCarthy unique from peers of his age. For starters, the WR revealed that the rookie QB has an insatiable hunger to learn and excel. He used the metaphor of a sponge to express the rookie’s hunger to soak in knowledge.
“He’s a sponge that wants to grab all of the information that he can. [He is] always asking questions on how to become that top tier quarterback you know, just trying to learn the offense as a whole.”
Luckily for the Michigan alum he found an excellent teammate and mentor in Justin Jefferson who is very hands on with solving his queries. Vikings are planning to have McCarthy show up regularly in the course of upcoming season. Jefferson noted:
“He’s going to be in that building around us all year so still going to be chopping it up with him trying to you know teach him different things that he needs to learn to to become a top tier quarterback,”
With Darnold getting glowing praises and McCarthy’s seamless education plan, the future seems really bright for the Vikings. Safe to say, a deep playoffs run surely seems to be on the horizon for the Vikings in the next couple of seasons. If not this one.
