J.J. McCarthy on Rich Eisen Show: ‘All I could ask for is a fair opportunity at QB’

The Minnesota Vikings are in offseason mode, but have some roster decisions to make before the NFL league year opens in about a month.

One of their biggest questions might be at quarterback, and we could get clarity on that in early March when teams can start using the franchise tag. Vikings’ rookie J.J. McCarthy went on national radio on Tuesday to make it clear he wants to compete for the starting job in 2025.

McCarthy said as much on the Rich Eisen Show.

"All I can ask for is a fair opportunity. That’s the one thing I feel like everybody’s given and it’s fundamental. When money gets involved, things get complicated and reps get skewed and there’s different things that come into the whole political world that everyone talks about," McCarthy told Eisen. "I have to focus on controlling what I can control. My feelings don’t matter. I’m not getting any grace. There’s no sympathy, this is the big leagues."

What does McCarthy mean?

Why you should care:

The Vikings can place the franchise tag on a player starting March 4. If they use it on Sam Darnold and keep him, Darnold will be back in Minnesota for around $40 million. That would make him the 2025 starter, no questions asked. If they tag him and trade him for assets, that opens the door for McCarthy to win the starting job. Same goes if the Vikings decide to let Darnold test free agency, which would happen if they don't tag him or agree to a new contract with him.

Investing in the future

Dig deeper:

The plan is at some point for McCarthy to be the Vikings’ franchise quarterback. That’s why they moved up to the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to get him. We saw flashes of his potential in his preseason debut. Within a few days, it was revealed he had a torn meniscus that required surgery.

McCarthy is back on the field throwing and working out. But we have to wait and see what happens with Darnold before anything is known with McCarthy. Darnold has earned that, after throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in leading the Vikings to a 14-win season.

Stay tuned, we’re still a month away from learning anything about the Vikings’ 2025 quarterback situation.

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