JJ McCarthy doesn't need to be a star to justify the Vikings' trade to select him with the 10th overall pick in this year's draft. Of course, Minnesota expects him to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. But even if McCarthy were a decent player, he would still be one of the most valuable assets in football. He's the starting quarterback on his rookie contract.
The best possible quarterback situation in the NFL (other than Patrick Mahomes) is to acquire an elite QB on a rookie contract. That's what the Texans currently have in C.J. Stroud, and that's what the six teams that drafted passers in the top 12 this year are hoping to get. The next best thing is to have the quarterback fit at least one of these two descriptors for him. Either paying top dollar for an elite QB (Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, etc.) or having a solid QB on a rookie contract (which obviously doesn't work if the young QB is clearly bad) It's either. The Vikings paid neither when they previously paid Kirk Cousins $30 million to $35 million a year. They were trapped in purgatory.
The Vikings believe McCarthy has a chance to make it in the NFL. He lands in an ideal situation in Minnesota, where he will be coached by Kevin O'Connell and Josh McCown while playing alongside the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neal. It turns out. The desired outcome is for the Michigan product to be very good over the next few years, giving the Vikings a Super Bowl ceiling.
But even if McCarthy turns out to be solid or pretty good, there's a chance the Vikings could clinch a Super Bowl berth in the next few years. Once the dead cap hits of Kirk Cousins, Daniel Hunter and others are taken off the Vikings' books in 2025, the Vikings are projected to have $86 million in cap space, the sixth-most in the NFL. Justin Jefferson's extension will impact that number, but there are plenty of ways to create even more space. If McCarthy is at least good enough to be the Vikings' starter, it would give the Vikings significant cap space each year for the duration of his rookie contract. You can use this to sign top free agents and build a talented and balanced roster.
Think about all the teams this century that went to the Super Bowl with quarterbacks on their rookie contracts. Jared Goff and the Rams. 49ers' Colin Kaepernick and Brock Purdy have been apart for more than a decade. Burrow and the Bengals. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. Carson Wentz (until he got injured and Nick Foles took over) and the Eagles. Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson all won Super Bowls while on their rookie contracts (as did Mahomes and Tom Brady).
The Vikings are counting on McCarthy to become a great quarterback in the NFL and remain at that position with the franchise for the next 15 years. But even if he's only around for the next four or five years, he'll be an invaluable asset.
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