Panthers WR discusses workout with Vikings' J.J. McCarthy

Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, now with the Carolina Panthers, raised eyebrows when he shared last week that he recently spent some time catching passes thrown by Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Per Adam Patrick of The Viking Age and Janik Eckardt of Purple PTSD, Thielen opened up about his interactions with McCarthy during a Monday appearance on Minneapolis/St. Paul sports radio station KFAN FM 100.3.

"He's got all the tools, that's for sure," Thielen said about McCarthy. "He can sling it (and) he's super accurate. We're wearing shorts and t-shirts out there, but you can (still) see a lot, just from accuracy, timing, and those kinda things when you're running routes on air."

Thielen, a native of Minnesota, featured for the Vikings from 2014 through the 2022 season long before the club made McCarthy the 10th overall pick of this year's draft. Despite that investment, veteran Sam Darnold is on track to start over McCarthy when Minnesota opens the upcoming campaign at the New York Giants on Sept. 8.

During a different interview on Monday, Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman suggested that McCarthy showed signs during springtime workouts that he's ready to establish himself as a leader in the locker room. Thielen mentioned that the first-year pro has "a maturity about him that you can tell goes beyond his age."

McCarthy turned 21-years-old this past January.

"And that's step No. 1 as a quarterback, right? To have that maturity level, have that kind of poise or kind of that aura around you that just feels confident," Thielen continued. "And (he's) just a good person. So, I've really enjoyed being around him for the little time that I've been able to be around him."

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Darnold as the overwhelming betting favorite at -320 odds to be Minnesota's Week 1 starting quarterback over McCarthy (+230). Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell seemingly wants McCarthy to develop as a spectator who watches Darnold take meaningful snaps through Week 18, but it sounds like the rookie could have something to say about those plans once training camp practices begin later this month.