Vikings Season Now about One Man
The Minnesota Vikings were supposed to feature an honest-to-goodness “patchover” quarterback situation in 2024 after allowing Kirk Cousins to vamoose via free agency.
Vikings Season Now about One Man
The club signed a veteran and drafted a rookie at quarterback in the wake of Cousins’ departure, but that young signal-caller, J.J. McCarthy, tore his meniscus last week, ending his 2024 campaign.
For better or worse, that leads to a straightforward conclusion: the Vikings’ 2024 season is now about one man — veteran Sam Darnold.
Of course, 52 other players will join Darnold on the roster, and he isn’t even close to the team’s best player. For example, the season could be “about Justin Jefferson,” but there is no mystery regarding his skillset. Folks know what they’re getting there.
On Darnold, they do not. He could play wonderfully, effectuating offseason predictions from some who have claimed he’ll be “this year’s Baker Mayfield.” He could play underwhelmingly, as was the case from 2018 to 2023. Or he’ll live somewhere in the middle between wonderful and underwhelming.
With McCarthy on the shelf, though, this is “the Sam Darnold season” in Minnesota. McCarthy’s meniscus tear cleared the path, now full tilt in favor of Darnold, with the only options in reserve Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall. And for Darnold’s personal career trajectory, it’s all or nothing.
The man has started 56 games in his career, and his team wins 37% of the time. Not ideal. The 2024 campaign will determine if Darnold has QB1 staying power — probably with another team in 2025, as the Vikings will hand the baton to McCarthy next year — or if he’s relegated to a career-long QB2 like Carson Wentz.
In six seasons, Darnold has banked 63 passing touchdowns and 56 interceptions, with 182.8 passing yards per game. The San Francisco 49ers employed Darnold as a QB2 in 2023, a contingency plan for Brock Purdy. Ultimately, the 49ers reached the Super Bowl with Purdy, and Darnold wasn’t much needed. He hit free agency a month later. New Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown was a teammate of Darnold with the New York Jets in 2018. There was evidently a connection there.
Foremost, Darnold must minimize turnovers, which were the purple team’s undoing in 2023. Here’s the statistical skinny on turnovers for Darnold and his peers:
Most INTs + Fumbles,
Per Game,
Since 2018:
(min. 35 games)
- Justin Fields (1.70)
- Jameis Winston (1.64)
- Josh Allen (1.45)
- Trevor Lawrence (1.44)
- Carson Wentz (1.43)
- Daniel Jones (1.43)
- Sam Darnold (1.42)
- Matt Ryan (1.42)
- Kyler Murray (1.35)
- Baker Mayfield (1.32)
On the surface, the relationship feels like a bizarre fit. The Vikings ranked second-to-last in 2023 per offensive giveaways and signed one of the most turnover-happy quarterbacks in the business. They’ll just have to hope that Darnold changes his ways.
Minnesota will also bank on defense after Brian Flores markedly improved the group in one season. There’s a viable chance for the Vikings to morph into a defense-first franchise in Flores’ second year. Stay tuned.
On the whole, however, this season is all about Darnold. It all changed with McCarthy’s season-ending injury. No rookie is waiting in case Darnold plays like Darnold.
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.
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