The Minnesota Vikings have one of those good problems at QB — there may be one too many cooks in the kitchen, but both have the potential to be masters of the craft.
An unfortunate injury to rookie J.J. McCarthy charted a course of smooth sailing for starter Sam Darnold and the Vikings offense in 2024, which has seen the team elevate to the top of the NFC at 14-2 and the quarterback earn Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his seven-year career. And it was all simple enough: the top-10 pick rehabbed and learned from the sideline/in the film room while the $10 million free agent find wiped the label of “bust” from his resumé, rebuilding his value while simultaneously rebuilding Minnesota into a playoff team.
But things are going to get much more complicated come the offseason, regardless of whether Minnesota wins the division, claims the No. 1 seed, makes a deep run in the playoffs and/or wins a Super Bowl — or accomplishes none of those now exceedingly getable goals.
Darnold has shown he can succeed at the highest level in Kevin O’Connell’s offense flanked by stud wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. And isn’t the point of drafting a player like McCarthy — to do so with the hope that he will one day become that type of player and formulate a plan to help him get there?
McCarthy acknowledged after the 2024 draft that most of the first-round quarterbacks he conversed with admitted that landing in Minnesota was an ideal outcome. He was lucky enough to realize that result, but has since been unlucky enough perhaps to lose his grasp on it without ever getting a chance to make it his own.
J.J. McCarthy May Not Get Chance to Start for Vikings, Elsewhere in 2025
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota has made it clear behind the scenes that it wants Darnold back, per a report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
He is only 27 years old and a long-term deal makes plenty of sense if the Vikings believe his current level of play is sustainable. And as long as O’Connell, Jefferson and Addison are around, there is little reason to believe it’s not after a full season worth of sample size.
Even if the organization wants to take a beat and confirm what it likely already believes about Darnold’s future potential, McCarthy isn’t likely to see the QB ahead of him on the depth chart head anywhere else anytime soon.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated on January 2 authored a mailbag, in which a reader asked him if it was realistic that the Vikings might use the franchise tag to keep Darnold while also foregoing a trade of McCarthy in 2025. The answer was bad news for the rookie, presuming he eventually wants to start in the NFL.
“Yes. It’d cost more than $40 million for 2025 to franchise Darnold. But it’d be similar to what the Chargers did in ’05,” Breer wrote, referencing when that franchise held onto Drew Brees after drafting Phillip Rivers. “In doing things that way, I believe the Chargers gave themselves the greatest chance to get the quarterback position right long-term. And it turns out they had two really good options. In this case, it’d be more costly because of what the tag is in 2025. But it might be the best course for the Vikings, who have a lot of things going the right way for the franchise.”
Sam Darnold Might Prove Bargain to Vikings at Franchise Tag Price Next Season
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
That franchise tag call is probably the best of both worlds for the Vikings organization and its fans, while it is the least favorable outcome for Darnold in a financial sense and McCarthy with regards to his immediate playing future.
Darnold would potentially command more than $55 million annually on the open market as the prize free agent quarterback option in an offseason characterized by a weak draft class at the position and significant need under center across the league.
Meanwhile, the organization moving on from Darnold would be the ideal scenario for McCarthy, as he would inherit the benefits of Minnesota’s scheme and offensive roster. However, even a trade elsewhere to a less ideal set of circumstances would pave the way from the soon-to-be 22-year-old to start in his second professional season and begin carving out his own niche in the NFL.
However, this Vikings regime kicked the can down the road once with QB Kirk Cousins on a pricey one-year deal and it worked out, so there is little reason to expect the franchise won’t do the same thing again this offseason if it believes that is the best decision — especially with north of $78 million in 2025 salary cap space as of Friday.
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J.J. McCarthy Catches Bad News After Sam Darnold Named Pro Bowler