Anytime a veteran can praise a younger player on the team, it carries extra weight. When the compliment comes in the form of a player being compared to an MVP, it gets an extra finger on the scale of impressiveness.
When speaking to the media on Monday, defensive lineman Harrison Phillips was asked about his thoughts on new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. What he threw out as a comparison could not have been better music to the ears of his teammates and Vikings fans around the world.
“He’s got some confidence, and he reminds me of like Josh Allen when I was with him in Buffalo coming into his own and understanding the power that he has to lead this organization, and he’s doing a fantastic job.”
Phillips was a part of the same 2018 NFL Draft class in Buffalo that Josh Allen was in. He saw firsthand his development from 2018 to 2021 when he was with the Bills before signing with the Vikings in 2022.
Allen is now coming off an MVP season, but he has been playing like one for several years. For Phillips to throw out this sort of comparison so early into his career speaks to both the work ethic and traits of McCarthy.