The Minnesota Vikings are going to be fascinating to watch over the course of the next couple of weeks, as their first-round pick quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be taking over the starting quarterback spot.

He missed the entirety of last season due to a torn meniscus he suffered in the first preseason game of his rookie season. It’s a major offseason for the future of the Vikings, as the organization and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have put all their eggs into the basket of McCarthy.

NFL analyst makes Hall of Fame claim about J.J. McCarthy

Now that we have the future somewhat set when it comes to McCarthy, trying to project what he can be moving forward. Wednesday’s OTAs will show us the first example of that, as media will be able to attend practice for the first time this offseason.

Of course, ahead of that access has been a bevy of speculation, including SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad, who mentioned the possibility on Canton, Ohio, also known as the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Well, let’s start with the headline, McCarthy, first team reps, OTAs, this is the beginning of the beginning of, actually, dare I say, the road to Canton?”

The Hall of Fame is quite a major jumping block, especially since McCarthy hasn’t taken a single snap in the National Football League. However, what if there is something to it?

Think about it. Over the last three years, every quarterback has thrived so much under head coach Kevin O’Connell that they’ve played their best football. It’s been enough of a trend that it’s completely possible that quarterbacks continue to play their best under him moving forward.

Saying that McCarthy will make the Pro Football Hall of Fame is still a stretch before we’ve seen him play, but the system paired with the talent around him and the coaching staff makes this a little less extreme of a take.

Whatever journey McCarthy is set to begin, it will start this week in OTAs.