What J.J. McCarthy is expected to make in his rookie contract
Once upon a time, after the NFL draft, in order to learn what the newfound professional players were going to make, you had to wait for a team near the top of the draft to set the market value.
Either the No. 1 overall pick or someone in the top five would negotiate a monster contract, and every other team would then act accordingly. However, as that started to get out of hand, there was something of a restructuring, and now every pick, more or less, knows what they’re going to get based on where they were drafted.
For former Michigan football quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was selected at No. 10 overall by the Minnesota Vikings, he’ll end up with a four-year deal with a fifth-year option. That deal should be close to $22 million with an almost $13 million signing bonus.
As the 10th overall pick, J.J. McCarthy's fully guaranteed 4-year rookie deal should be $21.858M, which includes a $12.715M signing bonus.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) April 26, 2024
For McCarthy, that’s life-changing money, even though he reportedly made a killing in the name, image, and likeness game, so much that he turned down a lot of opportunities to focus more on football. For the Vikings, that’s a steal, especially considering their former quarterback, Kirk Cousins, signed a $100 million deal, all guaranteed, with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason.
Certainly, McCarthy will be looking to get to that fifth-year option and beyond, and that’s where he could really break the bank.
