Sam Darnold can attest to the dilemma the Minnesota Vikings and J.J. McCarthy are facing. He’s lived it himself.
Appearing on the “Green Light” podcast with Chris Long on May 28, Darnold detailed his career revival, going from a bust as the No. 3 overall pick for the New York Jets, setting a franchise record of 14 quarterback wins for the Vikings before ultimately winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in February.
Darnold acknowledged that he’s not the first quarterback to find greener pastures, but he is the latest and testament to how the struggles of a young quarterback don’t always define their career.
However, the NFL is a business, and patience is scarce. Despite having one of the league’s greatest advocates at the position as head coach in Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota has hedged its bets by acquiring Kyler Murray in the offseason after McCarthy has struggled to stay on the field and develop, playing just 10 games in the past two seasons due to injury.
Darnold addressed the optics of a young quarterback’s struggles and how social media has made it harder to ignore outside criticism in a statement that left most listeners thinking of McCarthy first and foremost.
Sam Darnold Addresses Challenges Facing Young QBs After Reinventing Career With Vikings
“You get quarterbacks that get drafted really high, and sometimes, I think people are really, really fast to give up on them, especially in this social media kind of culture. I think it’s just kind of the way things are, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. It’s just kind of the way it is,” Darnold said.
“We live in a time where TikTok is kind of king and YouTube short clips, these 20-minute clips of guys sitting on ‘Get Up’ or ‘First Take’ or whatever it is, and they have an opinion about a young quarterback, and it just goes viral. Sometimes that gets back to a young kid or that young quarterback that could affect them later down the line. This is what it is, man, like people are just gonna tell you ‘you suck’ and that’s going to be the narrative.”
Darnold’s comment especially resonated with Vikings observers who have watched the organization’s shift in confidence in McCarthy.
Former Vikings sideline reporter Ben Leber made a tongue-in-cheek comment in response: “Alluding to someone in particular.”
“You don’t say,” The Daily Norseman replied.
“This seems targeted,” VikingzFanPage wrote.
“Sounds like what’s happening to a young qb in minny you played with,” one commenter wrote.
Nothing Darnold said was malicious or damning to either side of the Vikings-McCarthy dynamic. However, he has insight into what it’s like to be a young quarterback like McCarthy, just 23 years old, with a doubtful narrative over their head, and spoke on it.
Because he’s lived it himself.
Vikings Pivot Off JJ McCarthy Leads to Troubling Report Young QB ‘Wants Out’ of MN
After selecting McCarthy 10th overall in the 2024 draft, the Vikings signed Darnold as a veteran buffer so they would not have to rush McCarthy into action.
Despite Darnold’s 14-win season, Minnesota was all-in on McCarthy, opting to splurge in free agency to build the best roster with the extra cap space versus paying Darnold a lucrative multi-year extension.
There was a significant drop-off in quarterback play. McCarthy suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 and missed five games, a meaningful ramp-up for his first season as a starter. McCarthy showed flashes as a competitor in his first season, but by the end of the year, O’Connell had pared down his playbook to help the young signal caller.
Now, reports coming out of OTAs is Murray is far ahead of McCarthy, much like Darnold was in training camp in 2024.
These are grounds for discontent, and rumors have begun to surface that McCarthy wants out of Minnesota, according to former NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.
“I think he wants out of there,” an NFL general manager told La Canfora. “I think he’s wanted out of there since they signed (Kyler) Murray. Those personalities are not going to be a good fit.”
Sam Darnold Sheds Light on Vikings, JJ McCarthy Dilemma