Vikings ownership says patience with McCarthy will be prioritized, as rookie QB develops

Photo: The Canadian Press

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — When the Minnesota Vikings became the proud owners of a rookie quarterback by drafting J.J. McCarthy in the first round, their potential road to a Super Bowl came into focus — starting with speed bumps.

Beginning the 20th season of ownership of the Vikings, the Wilf family has no misgivings about the amount of time McCarthy might take to develop — even if one of the NFL 's longest chases for a championship drags on into a third decade running the franchise.

“We want to win, but we also try to think about the long-term health of the organization, not just business-wise, but winning,” said owner and president Mark Wilf, who with his older brother Zygi Wilf and cousin Lenny Wilf led the purchase of the Vikings in 2005. "That’s what our fans want. That’s what we want. We’re trying to build for the long term.”

McCarthy, the 10th overall pick from national champion Michigan, has had his share of highlight-reel throws during training camp that stand out from the predictable learning-curve moments. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell has given veteran Sam Darnold almost all of the turns with the first-team offense, the most obvious sign that McCarthy is likely bound for a developmental season.

True to form as the face of one of the league's most deliberate and steady ownership groups, Mark Wilf said before practice on Tuesday that waiting for sustained success isn't a problem — even while acknowledging his family's frustration that the Vikings haven't won it all under their leadership.

“That drives us every single day, bringing home Super Bowl championships for our fans. We want to win. We have to balance that. We’re fans too,” Wilf said, adding: “The bottom line from ownership is we’re here to provide the resources, we’re here to provide the leadership and coaching, and Kevin O’Connell is our head coach and he knows quarterbacks and we have confidence in his ability to develop these guys.”

Given the magnitude of the decision to let Kirk Cousins depart as a free agent after six solid yet unfulfilling seasons that yielded only one win in the playoffs, the owners were involved in pre-draft strategy sessions with O'Connell, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and their key advisers.

“Couldn’t be more excited, as we said around draft weekend. Everything that he was advertised to be has proven to be — a leader on and off the field, a tremendous talent,” Wilf said.

The stated patience in McCarthy's progress ought to bode well for the job security of Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell, with both of them in their third year and no wins in the playoffs yet. Wilf, though, said consideration about extending their contracts would wait until after the season.

“We’ll judge it like we’ve always done. We’ll evaluate the full body of work for everybody, and we’re going to evaluate all the factors that go into how we did, how we’re doing,” Wilf said. "We have big expectations for our squad, and we feel very good about the direction of the team under Kevin and Kwesi.”

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