J.J. McCarthy certainly looks the part of a franchise quarterback. That much was apparent on Friday afternoon as McCarthy took the practice field at TCO Performance Center for the first time with the Vikings. Not only did McCarthy look every bit of his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame, he showcased his arm talent, effortlessly zipping the ball around to his teammates. Any nerves? “I was more anxious than anything,” McCarthy said. “You’re just waiting so long to get back to real football.” It helps that McCarthy has been tirelessly preparing for this moment. As soon as the Vikings selected him with th ..read more

The time has finally come. A couple of weeks after being drafted by the Vikings, or signed as undrafted free agents, the 2024 rookie class will descend upon TCO Performance Center in Eagan for the weekend, starting on Friday. It will serve as a chance for many players to make a first impression on the coaching staff as they look to carve out a niche for themselves heading into next season. Though the tandem of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner will arrive with the most hype after being selected in the first round of the draft, there are a handful of other names worth foll ..read more

The competitive rebuild is finally starting to take shape for the Vikings. Though the term itself has been weaponized against general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah at times since he uttered those words, it has actually provided a good depiction of how the Vikings have operated over the past couple of seasons. They have kept pieces in place to compete for the playoffs in the short term. They have also pushed things forward with an eye toward contending for a Super Bowl in the long term. The inflection point came this offseason, as the Vikings moved on from veteran franchise quarterback Kirk Cousin ..read more

In the least surprising move of this offseason, the Vikings officially exercised the fifth-year option for left tackle Christian Darrisaw on Monday afternoon. As a result, Darrisaw is set to make a base salary of roughly $2.5 million in 2024, then a base salary of roughly $16 million in 2025. Originally selected by the Vikings with the No. 23 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Darrisaw has developed into a stalwart the position. He finished the last season with a pass block grade of 85.3, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the third highest among all offensive linemen who played at least 50 p ..read more

Will Reichard has long been known for his accuracy as a kicker. Not necessarily his power. Yet, when Alabama absolutely needed Reichard to come through from distance this year against Michigan in the Rose Bowl, he converted from 50 yards, then from 52 yards. He always seems to be at his best when the lights are bright. “It’s super important to be able to kick well in big-time pressure situations,” Reichard said. “That’s something that I take a lot of pride in.” That should serve Reichard well as he steps into the pressure cooker that is being a kicker in Minnesota. He was selected by the Vikin ..read more

After putting the finishing touches on the current draft class, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the rest of the front office remained hard at work. They connected with many players that weren’t selected in the 2024 NFL Draft with hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. Everybody remembers linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. He signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent last year and went on to become a budding star. The hope within TCO Performance Center is that history will repeat itself this year. Here’s a look at the undrafted free agents the Vikings agreed to terms with: California o ..read more

In an alternate universe, Khyree Jackson might be working as a manager at the local grocery store, or maybe playing video games professionally as a member of the NBA 2K League. Seriously. Both options were on the table when he stepped away from football as a teenager. Eventually, Jackson returned to the game he loved, parlaying his undying determination into an opportunity to play at the highest level  The cornerback was officially rewarded for his hard work on Saturday when the Vikings selected him with the No. 108 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He wouldn’t change his journey for the world ..read more

It couldn’t have worked out much better for the Vikings on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, as they swung for the fences by taking quarterback J.J. McCarthy and edge rusher Dallas Turner. They added what could end up being pillars on offense and defense. It was a home run in terms of what they hoped to achieve. That aggressiveness, however, cost the Vikings all of their picks on Day 2, which left them watching helplessly as dozens of prospects left the board. That wasn’t the case on Day 3 as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell got back to work, following their process ..read more

Now that they’re teammates with the Vikings, edge rusher Dallas Turner joked that he wasn’t always so fond of quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Not after Alabama lost a heartbreaker to Michigan a few months ago in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Turner couldn’t stomach the thought of seeing the highlight reel on social media. “That was probably the first time I cried in a little minute,” Turner said with a laugh. “I unfollowed him on Instagram.” Asked for his assessment on Turner heading into that particular game, McCarthy noted his new teammate was a point of emphasis in the game pla ..read more

As the Vikings researched the quarterback class in the 2024 NFL Draft, there was a particular interaction that stuck out to general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. He remembers talking to former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy early in the process and being taken aback by how forthcoming he was. “He said, ‘Is there a reason you wouldn’t draft me?’ ” Adofo-Mensah recalled. “I said, ‘Honestly, from a talent standpoint, no.’ ” The only thing that gave Adofo-Mensah any sort of pause was the fact that McCarthy was more of an unknown compared to his peers. He wasn’t asked to do nearly as much as Nort ..read more