New Vikings center Ryan Kelly is excited to play with J.J. McCarthy

[ASFN Admin]

The Minnesota Vikings are moving forward with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback in 2025. No one will get to know him better this season than center Ryan Kelly, who spent his first nine seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He signed a two-year deal last week with the Vikings to help improve the interior offensive line.

Although Kelly, 32, is ten years older than McCarthy, he likes what he has seen from the 2024 first-round pick so far. According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, Kelly sees McCarthy as "fiery".

Just having some brief conversations with J.J. so far, and just getting a feel from people in the facility on how they view him, he's fiery, man. He's got some stuff to him, now. He's got that energy that you want as a quarterback and as a young guy who missed his entire rookie season. I think you need that edge where this guy is like, he wants to prove who he can be in this league. He wants to lead this team to an NFC North title. He wants to go to the NFC Championship Game. The Super Bowl. And I think he also understands that there is a lot he hasn't seen and doesn't know. So for the last nine years, for the most part, I've been in charge of the run game, the pass game, and all the blitz lookups and all those. So I think that's what I bring to this table. Hey, there is a young guy who we really believe in who we know has the fire and the passion to be great, he just might not be able to see everything right away…

Kelly's remarks reflect those of many teammates and coaches over the years. Cam Bynum, who recently signed with the Colts, said McCarthy is a "maniac when it comes to football."

As McCarthy's center, Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowler, can directly help the young quarterback at the line of scrimmage. As a veteran teammate, Kelly will be able to help McCarthy harness that energy and put it to positive use.

It's easy to talk teammates up in the off-season when no games are being played. However, if Kelly is strong in his convictions, he aligns with the coaching staff that bypassed the opportunity to sign Aaron Rodgers to push forward with McCarthy. Being a leader is half the battle. Let's see if McCarthy's physical ability can match that.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Ryan Kelly excited to play with 'fiery' J.J. McCarthy

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