Heading into his second season with the Minnesota Vikings, wide receiver Jordan Addison met with the media to discuss his early impressions of the quarterbacks during OTAs. The battle for the QB1 spot in Minnesota appears to be between veteran Sam Darnold and rookie JJ McCarthy.
Darnold enters the competition with six years of NFL experience under his belt, although he’s never quite lived up to the lofty expectations that come with being a former first-round pick. McCarthy faces the same pressure as the highest drafted QB in Vikings franchise history, and early reports seem to suggest that he’s got his hands full with Darnold for that top spot.
For Addison, he likes what he’s seeing early from the rookie QB.
“He’s got a nice tight spiral, so you got to make sure you catch it,” Addison said. “I like him though. JJ’s been playing really well, playing with confidence, anticipating throws, making mistakes but learning from them. So he’s got a bright future.”
Talking about the QB battle overall, Addison said he’s confident in whoever the Vikings decide to roll with this season.
“It’s real good, way better than I expected. They’re out there playing with a lot of confidence – Sam, Nick, JJ too. They’re all anticipating throws, they all look good. So I’m confident with whoever they throw out there.”
So to summarize, there is a legitimate QB battle in Minnesota right now. The early reporting suggests that Darnold might be leading the race right now, but – as Ian Rapoport points out in the video above – there’s no telling how long that will last. Over the last four seasons, Darnold has thrown 27 touchdowns compared to 28 interceptions for three separate NFL teams, meaning he’s struggled to establish himself as the guy. With a talented rookie like JJ McCarthy battling for that spot, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before No. 9 is leading the offense onto the field in Minneapolis.
