J. J. McCarthy opens up on possibly playing for Vikings ahead of 2024 NFL Draft: "Dream come true"
With the 2024 NFL Draft is a couple of days away, J. J. McCarthy has been one of the prospects who's draft stock has been on the rise. He's projected to go in the top-five on Thursday night.
Speaking to Adam Schefter on his eponymous podcast ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, J. J. McCarthy opened up about potentially playing for the Vikings.
He said it would be a dream come true to don the purple and gold and run through brick wall for coach Kevin O'Connell.
"It would mean the world," McCarthy said. "Just because Coach O'Connell, he's a guy that I'd run through a brick wall for. Everything that he wants to do with his football team is something that I wanna be a part of."
He added:
"Obviously, being in the NFC North, being a Bears fan my entire life, and being able to play at Soldier Field and stay in the Midwest and all that good stuff, it'd be just a dream come true. Obviously the weapons there are limitless, so... it'd be a blessing to be a part of it."
The Minnesota Vikings are one of the quarterback-hungry teams trying to get into the top-10 selections to find a replacement for Kirk Cousins.
A lot of mock drafts have the Vikings trading up for J. J. McCarthy. The NFC North franchise has two first-round picks (No. 11 and No. 23), which they could potentially use in moving up the order.
J. J. McCarthy has suitors lined up in Patriots, Giants and Broncos
J. J. McCarthy spoke highly of the aforementioned teams to Adam Schefter. The 21-year-old said that Robert Kraft is "the coolest, smoothest guy I've met in a long time" and that it would be an "honor" to play in New England.
He also mentioned that "the city of New York is so special." McCarthy added that Broncos HC Sean Payton has had "so many great words of advice" for him during the pre-draft process.
The former Michigan quarterback recently dined with the New England Patriots on a pre-draft visit in Foxborough. The Patriots hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. They will be looking to start afresh in the post-Brady and Belichick era.
McCarthy has been linked with the Giants, who hold the No. 6 overall pick. The team has had buyer's remorse over Daniel Jones' $160 million contract extension, which they gave him last year.
Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos will also look to address their bleak QB room after Russell Wilson's exit. They hold the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.