The Minnesota Vikings have clinched a playoff berth with four games left in the 2024 season in Sam Darnold‘s first year in Minnesota.
Nobody could have predicted Darnold’s ascension would lead to an 11-2 start to the season entering a Week 15 primetime matchup with the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
Yet, the 27-year-old quarterback continues to outshine his past struggles, playing at a consistently high level consistent with some of the game’s greats. Darnold is one of only four quarterbacks to throw for 2 or more touchdowns and post a 100-plus passer rating in 10 of his first 13 games of a season — joining the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Phillip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers.
Darnold’s performance has made the conversation about moving on from him complicated. The Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy 10th overall in April’s draft as the heir apparent to Kirk Cousins, but Darnold continues to exceed expectations.
However, the consensus remains that Minnesota will move on from Darnold despite growing chatter on national channels.
“McCarthy is their guy,” an NFL executive told The Athletic’s Mike Sando on December 16. “The talking heads think they are crazy to let Darnold go, but they don’t have the same conviction on McCarthy as the Vikings do.”
That “conviction” has come through previously when listening to head coach Kevin O’Connell speak about McCarthy.
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Earns ‘Franchise QB’ Label From Kevin O’Connell
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings gestures to the sideline during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
When Darnold arrived on a one-year, $10 million contract he signed in March, it was under the stipulation that he would compete with a rookie quarterback for the starting job.
He was considered the favorite to win the job over McCarthy early in spring workouts. However, McCarthy matured tremendously in a matter of weeks before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
McCarthy’s performance in the preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders offered a glimpse into his development, completing 11-of-17 passes for 188 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
There was a realistic chance that McCarthy could push Darnold for the starting job late in camp, with the Vikings’ joint practices against the Cleveland Browns becoming a highly anticipated proving ground for the 21-year-old.
However, he returned to the team facilities after the Raiders game with an ailment that proved to be season-ending.
Despite the abrupt end to McCarthy’s rookie year, O’Connell had seen enough to christen him as the Vikings’ “young franchise quarterback.”
“Everyone should be excited that we got our young franchise quarterback in the building,” O’Connell said on August 14, per the Minnesota Star Tribune. “Now, it’s about continuing the [mental] development. There is no question in my mind the physical talent J.J. has. He really started to look like an NFL quarterback.”
Vikings Remain ‘Open-Minded’ About Darnold, a Retread Of Kirk Cousins’ Final Days in Minnesota
GettyKirk Cousins and Sam Darnold
As Darnold has pieced together the most impressive run of his career, on pace for over 4,100 yards and 35 touchdowns, the Vikings remain “open-minded” about his future in Minnesota, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
Darnold has played well enough to leave the Vikings more open-minded about their 2025 plans than many realize, according to sources familiar with the Vikings’ thinking,” Seifert wrote on December 16. “They have not ruled out offering him a contract for next season, despite widespread assumptions they will let him sign elsewhere in free agency and hand the job to McCarthy, who has spent his rookie season recovering from a torn meniscus in his right knee.”
The Vikings had a similar stance on Cousins, touting they’re open to solutions to keep the veteran quarterback. However, Cousins proved too costly to the organization which was transformed overnight with the cap space created by declining to pay a veteran quarterback.
Like Cousins, Darnold is considered the No. 1 free-agent quarterback entering the upcoming offseason.
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