EAGAN, Minn. – Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell is emphasizing a specific mantra this training camp:
"The process is the progress."
It's a theme that especially shows up in the quarterbacks room, where four players are demonstrating mutual respect and a shared desire for growth and development as they compete.
Sam Darnold, who signed a one-year deal with Minnesota in free agency, took a majority of the first-team reps throughout Organized Team Activity and minicamp practices. The Vikings also of course have rookie J.J. McCarthy, whom they drafted 10th overall in April, along with veteran returnee Nick Mullens and second-year QB Jaren Hall.
O'Connell said Monday he entered camp with "no preconceived, preset depth chart" in mind.
"I believe I said at the end of the spring, Sam was the No. 1 quarterback. He had taken a lot of the reps and most of the reps with the 1s. Sam had a great spring," O'Connell noted. "J.J. came in here after being drafted and had a really productive spring, as well. So my message to those is, 'I want a really competitive situation.' "
He added that Darnold will continue receiving the majority of his reps with the first-team offense, but McCarthy may also get his opportunities with that group.
"But also, it's about the quality as much as the volume of those reps throughout camp, to really continue to holistically attack this quarterback development program and process for J.J.," O'Connell said. "That doesn't mean the expectation is that Sam doesn't have a process, either. We've got individualized plans for all our guys, and where that depth chart falls for our first game? We get a whole lot of time on the grass and three preseason opportunities, two joint practices, to really work through exactly where each guy is.
"I also don't want J.J. to feel like he's got any kind of preset ceiling – or floor – to where he's at," O'Connell later said. "He's had a great offseason and a great summer leading into this. He's ready to go [for camp]. Sam got off to a really great start in the spring, and I'm looking forward to him to really take that momentum and start running."
Coming into his first NFL locker room and position group, McCarthy didn't quite know what to expect. After all, anecdotes over the years have shown older players around the league aren't always keen on mentoring their competition.
"Especially with the quarterback position, where there's only one guy [who will start]," McCarthy pointed out. "It's a very interesting situation. But this one has been the most refreshing I've ever been in."
The 21-year-old mentioned how much he looked up to Darnold before arriving in Minnesota, from watching Darnold at the Elite 11 quarterback camp to his time at USC before being drafted third overall by the Jets in 2018.
McCarthy admitted he felt a little intimidated when first meeting Darnold as a teammate.
"But he's just been nothing but great. You know, super open. Treats me like his little brother, and I can't thank him enough for that," McCarthy said. "And when it comes to competition? A rising tide lifts all ships. You know, I'm gonna push him because I'm pushing myself to be the best 'me' every day. He's doing the same, and he's been doing so great so far, and I just can't wait to see what he does along the way."
When Darnold spoke with Twin Cities media members Thursday, he shared similar sentiments on making each other better through healthy competition.
"Everyone learns together in the quarterbacks room. If I can take things from J.J. that he can teach me, I'll gladly take it. We're all learning from each other not only in the quarterback room, but everyone on the offense on the defense. Everyone's just constantly asking each other, not only about football, but off-the-field things, too. So just to be able to help in any way I can and be able to ask for help amongst these guys in the locker room, that's the kind of relationship that we have with each other in that locker room. And again, that's one of the great things about this place that I've realized so far.
"J.J. has been awesome," Darnold said. "Just to be able to come here and compete, you know, [I'm] helping in any way I can. Obviously for him, just continuing to soak everything in. Come out here and be … a sponge. 'OK, what's the play call, call in the huddle, see the motions,' all that stuff. Just take a deep breath and go one step at a time that way."
McCarthy also has had the chance to learn from veteran receiver Adam Thielen, a former longtime Viking who joined the Panthers in 2023 as a free agent but spent his offseason break back home in Minnesota.
Social media videos showed McCarthy and Thielen working out together multiple times this summer leading up to training camp. When asked how he got connected with the 33-year-old Thielen, McCarthy grinned.
"Papa Ham – C.J. Ham – hooked me up with him," McCarthy explained. "Adam got my number and asked me to come out, and I was working with him twice a week. It was so great to work with him because he's someone familiar with the offense, so I could work on that and be able to call the plays, and him actually going out and running them, and him [breaking it down] from his perspective on certain concepts.
"It was huge. And ultimately, he's such a great guy," McCarthy added. "He's one of those receivers where he makes a bad ball look like a good ball every time."
The rookie quarterback understands there will be some of those bad balls during training camp, but he views those instances as learning opportunities rather than moments to get down on himself.
McCarthy said he's not fixating on the outcomes of each individual day; rather, he's maintaining an overall growth mindset.
"I'm just focusing on learning how to get better and improve the weaknesses I have with my game, and also to learn my teammates' strengths and try to amplify them every chance I get," he said. "And we're off to a great start so far."
Even at the college level, McCarthy learned at Michigan how to trust the process – and he's doing that in the NFL, as well.
"Especially when you have someone like Coach O'Connell handle the process. That's huge to my development," he said. "I'm focusing on getting better every single day. Focusing on that meeting, that practice, that workout, whatever it is, in the moment.
"And just being able to have great leaders in the room like Sam and Nick and Jaren, they've been making it so easy for me," McCarthy said. "They're so welcoming, and they're always sharing their wisdom, all the time. So you know, all the credit goes to them. What you see from me, whenever that time comes, it's because of them."
