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JJ McCarthy ‘likely’ to start rookie season behind Sam Darnold on depth chart, per report
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JJ McCarthy was selected No. 10 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft last month, but he may not be the franchise’s starting quarterback from Day 1 as a rookie.
Multiple reports emerged this week stating that McCarthy is expected to sit behind Sam Darnold to begin the 2024 campaign.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday that McCarthy and Darnold are in a “real” competition this offseason. This came on the heels of McCarthy and the Vikings OTA’s this month.
“This is a real [competition],” Rapoport said. “The fact that Sam Darnold is in there, I’ve also heard he’s looked good. He’s going to look good. Something he’s done his entire career is, when it’s the spring, or when it’s the preseason, or when he has been … basically unbothered, he has looked excellent.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Darnold takes the first snap and kind of continues to roll with it, it’s just a matter of how long can he roll with it with JJ McCarthy sitting there waiting with all the talent that he has.”
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: The #Vikings will have one of the more interesting QB situations in the league in 2024. pic.twitter.com/JIlfkQBuFV
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 23, 2024
The Athletic’s Vikings beat writer, Alec Lewis, shared a similar expectation in a mailbag on Friday. Lewis reported that Darnold and Nick Mullens took most of the first-team reps during the Vikings’ team period on Tuesday and acknowledged that Darnold is “likely” to start in Week 1.
Minnesota’s quarterback competition is expected to continue over the coming weeks and months.
What this means for JJ McCarthy’s betting markets
When McCarthy’s player props were first shared in the aftermath of the draft, I picked him to go over 3,025.5 passing yards as a rookie — even acknowledging that he may not play in all 17 games.
However, that was with the idea that the Vikings would be willing to sink-or-swim with McCarthy as their QB in 2024 regardless of what that meant for short-term results. Minnesota has a great receiving corps and a solid offensive line, so it wouldn’t be a bad situation for a rookie quarterback to step into.
If McCarthy is going to sit on the bench for multiple games, it does drastically change the outlook of his player props.
Bet365 is currently offering the best line if you want to take the under at 3,100.5 yards (-150). If you’re still a believer in McCarthy, Caesars does have a much lower yardage total currently on the board — you can get over 2,900.5 at -110 odds.
As for McCarthy’s touchdowns prop, I picked him to go under 20.5 passing TD’s shortly after the draft. That number is still available at bet365 with -130 juice. Caesars is offering over 19.5 passing touchdowns for McCarthy at even-money.
McCarthy’s best price to win offensive rookie of the year comes from bet365, where he’s currently listed at +1100. He’s tied with Malik Nabers for 4th in those odds, trailing Caleb Williams (+225), Marvin Harrison Jr. (+600) and Jayden Daniels (+700).
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Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.