Former Michigan quarterback J.J McCarthy has signed his rookie contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
The former Wolverines signed a 4-year deal worth $21.85M, fully guaranteed with a $12.71M signing bonus. The contract comes with a 5th-year team option, standard for first-round picks.
The Vikings were considered heavy favorites ahead of the NFL Draft to select McCarthy and ultimately chose him with the 10th overall pick.
McCarthy is widely expected to start his first NFL season on the bench, while veteran and former top draft selection Sam Darnold is expected to start for Minnesota.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are entering their third season in Minnesota. While there is pressure to win, they do not want to force McCarthy to play until he is ready. O'Connell has spoken especially about developing McCarthy and not rushing him.
"Those things he talked about are the reason why I have so much faith in him," Adofo-Mensah said of O'Connell. "To take a mold-and-play like J.J. with talent and traits that are as high-end as anybody, and mold him into that player we want him to be. A lot of times when we go back over history and we say, 'These quarterbacks have missed.' There's a lot of hands that are dirty in that regard, and we're going to make sure that our hands are clean and give him the best opportunity he can to be the best player he can be in this offense."
McCarthy was the first Michigan quarterback selected in the first round since the Chicago Bears selected Jim Harbaugh in 1986.
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