Vikings: J.J. McCarthy remains last unsigned first round quarterback after Caleb Williams inks deal

Five down, one to go.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy misses the trophy to celebrate 34-13 win over Washington at the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. / Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

After the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams agreed to his rookie deal, J.J. McCarthy remains the last 2024 NFL Draft first round quarterback who has not put pen to paper with the Minnesota Vikings.

So what is the hold up?

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio speculates that the Vikings were waiting to see what happened with Williams' deal. Florio states that there has been "unverified social media chatter" that McCarthy wants his full signing bonus right away, so they could be waiting to see if the Bears give Williams his upfront:

"If Williams doesn’t get his full signing bonus right away as the first overall selection, it’s easier to tell McCarthy that, at most, he’ll get the same payment schedule that Williams received."

- PFT's Mike Florio

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy celebrates a play against Alabama during overtime of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

With Williams, there has been no word on how his signing bonus will be distributed. However, if the Vikings are not willing to haggle, we may have to wait a little while to see how this plays out before they re-engage with McCarthy and his camp.

With training camp right around the corner, however, the Vikings and McCarthy need to get pen-to-paper fast.

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