The Minnesota Vikings, entering this season, found themselves in the spot many franchises across the NFL want to take advantage of.
With a quarterback on a rookie contract, there’s a chance to shell out the big bucks elsewhere. J.J. McCarthy is entering his second season in the league, and first as a starter, and he’s a value relative to the big-money deals that QBs get after their rookie deal is done.
The Vikings have taken advantage to the tune of about $350 million.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert explained in some analysis over the weekend:
“The Vikings used the value of quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s rookie contract to assemble a talented — and expensive — roster around him. Ten of their projected 22 starters have been named to at least one Pro Bowl, three of whom they signed in March: center Ryan Kelly, along with defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. All told, the Vikings have committed roughly $350 million in cash to their 2025 roster.”
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That’s a stacked unit around McCarthy and on the defensive side, as well.
The irony of it all is that so much will still come down to McCarthy. Is he good enough to take advantage of the stars all around him?
The Vikings certainly believed so when they chose him No. 10 overall out of Michigan in 2024. But then his August knee injury forced him to sit and watch while Sam Darnold led Minnesota to an unexpectedly strong season.
That set the bar. If McCarthy doesn’t come close to what Darnold did, it’ll be a bummer for Vikings fans.
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McCarthy has still got a long NFL future, of course, but this is often the best window. If a team can get superb play from a quarterback on a rookie contract, there’s a real chance to win the final game of the season, because the money can get put to such good use elsewhere, like it seemingly has been in Minnesota.
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