Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center during OTAs. Darnold joined the Vikings' roster in March 2024 during free agency, on deck as a Kirk Cousins replacement and sharing the QB room later with rookie passer J.J. McCarthy of Michigan.
Sam Darnold might work out for the Minnesota Vikings solely because Vikings history is on his side.
Minnesota signed Darnold immediately after Kirk Cousins sprinted for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, and the veteran passer is on tap to start in 2024 as Minnesota’s QB1, barring a summer upset by rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The last time Darnold started — six games at the end of 2022 — he actually performed quite well. Folks either don’t know or forgot about it.
But on top of Darnold’s brief history of success in Carolina, the Vikings’ history is tailor-made for a quarterback’s redemption story. In fact, Vikings football in the last 30 years is a beleaguered passer entering the mix and thriving. These are the seven examples from the previous three decades.
Note: Warren Moon wasn’t included because he was a Pro Bowler the year before he joined the Vikings and was a Pro Bowler in Minnesota.
Cunningham joined Minnesota as Brad Johnson’s backup in 1998, and before too long, Cunningham + WR counterparts Randy Moss, Cris Carter, and Jake Reed took the NFL storm, producing arguably the best single-season offense ever.
From 1994-1997, Cunningham’s career had hit a standstill in Philadelphia, but he was quickly revived in Minnesota with 34 passing touchdowns and 3,704 passing yards — otherworldly stats by 1998 standards.
The team went 13-1 on his watch and lost in the 1998 NFC Championship, a game fans want to forget.
George in 1999 was the Cunningham from 1998. The two produced absolutely prolific aerial outputs, so much so for George that his throwing motion looked like he was born to play quarterback.
Before landing in the Twin Cities, George was considered “mid” by quarterback standards. That rapidly changed in 1999 when he dimed 23 touchdown passes in 10 games.
Yes, Big Bad Brad was a Vikings draftee in 1994 and even won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003.
But in 2004, his magic ran out, as Tampa Bay fired up a 0-4 record on his watch. He was cut loose the following offseason — when he became a Viking for the second time as Daunte Culpepper’s backup.
Well, Culpepper blew out his knee in 2005, ending his Vikings career, and when Johnson took the helm, Minnesota went 7-2 the rest of the season. Not bad.
These are the Frerotte stats to know about his brief Vikings career:
And this one:
The man was proficient in Minnesota and totally average everywhere else outside of a few decent seasons in Washington.
Bradford’s reputation as a quarterback mimicked Jeff George, though Bradford seemed like a happier and nicer person. Both were 1st-Round picks who fell rather short of their draft stock.
Yet, when Bradford arrived in Minnesota, he revived optimism in the 2016 season, which transferred to 2017. Unfortunately, injuries were his kryptonite, and he was out of the NFL after 2018.
In several games, however, he vividly passed the QB1 eye test.
Perhaps the favorite on the list of this generation of Vikings fans, Keenum helped drag Minnesota to the 2017 NFC Championship. Of course, his team’s defense was the true source of wins, but Keenum righted the ship over and over in 2017.
Keenum scripted The Minneapolis Miracle and convinced some folks that he should stay in town beyond 2017. Two months later, Minnesota signed Kirk Cousins.
An honorable mention, Dobbs crept into the starting lineup last season in a game at the Atlanta Falcons. He immediately flipped the 2023 season on its face — in a good way — for two weeks.
Dobbs led the Vikings to two wins before the bottom fell out, but not before hoodwinking the fanbase into believing he was an unpolished gem that several previous teams misunderstood.
DobbsMania was a very real phenomenon for a few weeks.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.