The Minnesota Vikings are currently wrapping up their final round of voluntary offseason team activities this week. While many veteran players were given the week off, attendance has been more or less mandatory for younger players, including rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned to Rich Eisen on Monday that getting McCarthy to attend sessions at TCO Performance Center hasn’t been an issue this offseason. McCarthy has impressed both teammates and coaches with his dedication and eagerness to improve his skills at the Eagan campus.
However, according to a popular account on X (formerly Twitter) (@prettyrickey213), which claims to be an NFL insider and has previously broken significant Vikings news, McCarthy is threatening to hold out of Vikings Training Camp. The reported reason is that McCarthy wants his entire rookie signing bonus paid upfront, something the Vikings have never done before.
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It’s worth noting that both of the Minnesota Vikings’ first-round picks, J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, have yet to sign their rookie contracts. They aren’t the only ones, as rookie contracts are predetermined based on draft positions, but the timing and structure of the signing bonuses are negotiable.
According to Spotrac’s rookie contract tracker, about half of the 2024 first-round draft class have yet to sign their rookie deals, including top picks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Michael Penix Jr., all of whom were drafted before McCarthy.
Does this mean Pretty Rickey is wrong? Not necessarily. Rickey has been accurate before, such as when he tweeted about Jefferson’s deal being done nearly an hour before it was reported by Adam Schefter or Ian Rapoport. This suggests the account is credible and not just spreading baseless rumors.
It’s also important to remember that players incur mandatory fines for each day of training camp they miss, and these fines cannot be reimbursed or negated afterward. If McCarthy’s contract remains unsigned and he decides to boycott team activities, he could either hold in or hold out. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.
With nearly two months until Minnesota Vikings training camp, there’s ample time to resolve any issues if McCarthy’s team is indeed considering a holdout. It’s definitely something to keep an eye on, and we’ll provide updates if any new information emerges regarding these holdout rumors.
