J.J. McCarthy sends a brutal warning to Sam Darnold

Former Minnesota Vikings first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy missed all of his rookie season after suffering a knee injury in what was a promising preseason performance.

In his place, veteran quarterback Sam Darnold took over the starting job and performed admirably until his production slid off a cliff in the Vikings’ final two games of the season, both losses, one an especially shocking playoff upset.

Still, the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora reported that McCarthy has a long road back from his injury and that the Vikings aren’t too eager to let Darnold walk, even with his struggles late in the season.

“Sam Darnold’s brutal play in Week 18 and the playoffs had many writing him off in Minnesota. Not so fast. Several executives from quarterback-needy teams, who would have at least some interest in Darnold, suggested he’s not going anywhere. I hear that J.J. McCarthy, who lost his entire rookie year to injury, still has significant work to do to rebuild his body, let alone adjust to the NFL. ‘They have to tag Darnold,’ the first GM said. ‘Those guys aren’t stupid,’” La Canfora reported.

“An agent for another free agent signal caller said: “Darnold will get the transition tag. It just makes too much sense… Owners don’t like to sign guys to offer sheets, and if they do, Minnesota can string it out for five days deciding to match, and what if the other quarterbacks are gone by the time they decide? Can you really take that risk in March?”

Now McCarthy is responding to reports, and he’s not afraid to let everyone, including Darnold, know that he’ll be ready to compete sooner rather than later.

“We’re ahead of schedule, on track, whatever you want to call it,” McCarthy stated.

It’ll be interesting to see who Minnesota’s starting quarterback is when Week One rolls around.