Alec Lewis recently reported something that should energize the Minnesota Vikings fanbase.
It was about J.J. McCarthy’s work ethic behind the scenes and the type of person he is, and I highly recommend you read it if you haven’t already. In that piece, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles revealed to McCarthy’s quarterback coach, Greg Holcomb, just how strongly the organization felt about McCarthy leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft. Holcomb had this to say:
(Poles) was talking about how much they (the Bears) loved J.J. And said to me, “I don’t think people realize how close we were to possibly taking him.’” Obviously, they love (No. 1 pick) Caleb (Williams), but I thought that was interesting.
If you were the Vikings’ general manager and Poles called you offering Caleb Williams for J.J. McCarthy, would you take that deal?
If you asked me this ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, I would have rushed to finalize that trade before Poles changed his mind. I wanted the Vikings to do whatever it took, minus trading Justin Jefferson, to move up to No. 1 to select the player widely considered the best quarterback in a strong draft class. Doing so would have reunited Williams with Jordan Addison, his top target at USC.
A lot has changed since then.
Caleb Williams didn’t live up to the immense hype he received as the first-overall pick in his rookie year. Granted, a lot of that was due to factors outside of Williams’ control, including poor coaching and an interior offensive line that struggled mightily in pass protection.
However, Williams tended to hold on to the ball for far too long. Per Next Gen Stats, he was tied with Aidan O’Connell in Longest Time to Throw. Williams’ demeanor has also occasionally rubbed some people the wrong way, including head coach Ben Johnson.
I find it fascinating that the public perception of McCarthy is rosier than of Williams, even though J.J. hasn’t played a regular-season game yet.
And the Bears aren’t the only team that felt strongly about McCarthy. The New England Patriots, who held the third-overall pick, were still deciding if they liked Drake Maye or McCarthy more heading into the draft.
Two weeks before draft day, reporter Tony Pauline wrote:
I’m not big on McCarthy being a top-10 selection, but the UM signal caller to New England was the buzz on the pro-day circuit. De facto general manager Eliot Wolf is pushing hard for McCarthy, and he believes he has as much upside as any quarterback in this draft.
Granted, it was highly unlikely that Wolf would have drafted McCarthy with the third-overall pick, no matter how high he was on Michigan’s signal caller. New England had one of the worst rosters in football at the time, and Wolf wanted to accumulate as much draft capital as possible so they could build a competitive team around whichever young quarterback they selected. There were even rumors circulating 48 hours before the draft that the Patriots and Vikings had a handshake agreement in place that would’ve sent the third-overall pick to Minnesota.
The Vikings were high on Drake Maye. Quarterbacks coach Josh McCown had coached Maye at Myers Park High School in Charlotte. Ultimately, the Bears drafted Williams with the first-overall pick, and the Patriots decided to stand pat, selecting Drake Maye with the third-overall pick. Although both of those teams passed on McCarthy, the level of interest he generated during the pre-draft process shouldn’t be ignored.
Even after winning a National Championship at Michigan, there were a lot of questions surrounding McCarthy as a prospect. Analysts wondered how much of his collegiate success depended on Harbaugh’s system. They questioned his ability to operate in a pass-first offense due to the sheer lack of throws on film they could analyze. Early in the draft process, McCarthy was projected to be a late-first-round pick. When all was said and done, McCarthy was a lock to go in the top 10, with two teams with top three picks strongly considering drafting him.
J.J. McCarthy’s meteoric rise is a testament to his character. The fact that even rival teams are still infatuated with him over a year after the 2024 draft just goes to show how much of a lasting impression he has made league-wide. If Ryan Poles’ words are any indication, the Minnesota Vikings may have found their franchise quarterback for many years to come.
