It's a new year and a mostly new Vikings coaching staff, but the same system of fines for receivers coach Keenan McCardell, the former Pro Bowl receiver for the Jaguars and Buccaneers who was only one of three assistants retained under rookie head coach Kevin O'Connell.
McCardell's wallet gets a little lighter whenever he displays a highlight of one of his 938 career receptions, including 55 in the playoffs, to Vikings receivers.
"Even though I have to show some of them, they'll say, 'Ope, fine. Put it on the board,'" said McCardell, 52, after Tuesday's practice that opened the team's mandatory minicamp. "They couldn't believe some of the moves that I had. I say, 'Well, y'all still got a lot of catches to catch to catch me, right?' I said, 'I believe in one [team], I had more catches than all you guys.' The closest person would be Adam [Thielen] right now, and JJ's [Justin Jefferson] catching up fast."
McCardell's memory serves him right, as his 499 catches in six Jaguars seasons still rank above Thielen's 464 grabs for the Vikings. But this offseason, the younger receivers gave the old guy a boost. Thielen and Jefferson publicly voiced their support for McCardell, urging O'Connell to retain him after McCardell was initially hired by Mike Zimmer before the 2021 season.
In one season, McCardell formed a tight bond with Jefferson and Vikings receivers that "was definitely a reason" to make the hire, O'Connell said. O'Connell also kept assistant defensive backs coach Roy Anderson and assistant linebackers coach Sam Siefkes from Zimmer's staff.
"It meant a lot to me," McCardell said. "I called them all and said, 'You guys didn't have to do that.' I think my résumé would've spoken for itself and if it didn't, it's part of the process because I know in this coaching business, I've got to do my job and then hopefully other people see it. But I appreciate all those guys going to bat for me. It shows what kind of room we have."