A Plot Twist for the Vikings at QB
The Minnesota Vikings have a champagne problem.
A Plot Twist for the Vikings at QB
With the regular season winding down, the playoffs on the way, and the offseason mere weeks away, the franchise has “too many” good quarterbacks, creating the best kind of conundrum.
And according to new reporting from The Athletic, Minnesota reportedly wants current QB1 Sam Darnold back in 2025, a plot twist compared to a couple of months ago when the popular theory suggested the 2025 Vikings would belong to rookie passer J.J. McCarthy.
The Vikings drafted McCarthy in Round 1 last April, with Darnold on the depth chart as a “bridge quarterback.” Yet, when the summer and regular season arrived, McCarthy tore his meniscus, canceling his rookie campaign, and Darnold exploded for 36 touchdowns through 17 games.
“They spent a first-round pick on J.J. McCarthy last spring and Darnold is in for a big payday in March. Despite that, after conversations with a team source, one thing is clear: The Vikings want Darnold back in Minnesota for 2025,” The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini wrote earlier this week.
Aside from Darnold, Minnesota is on tap to have north of $70 million in cap space during the 2025 offseason, and re-signing Darnold might siphon $40-$50 million from that budget. Oddly, the Vikings recently wound down an era of paying a quarterback the megabucks when Kirk Cousins departed for Atlanta 9.5 months ago. Fans rejoiced over the affordable quarterback era on the way. It might’ve been short-lived.
“While the original plan was for McCarthy to slowly develop into the starting quarterback while Darnold was there to hold the rookie’s place, McCarthy’s injury changed things,” Russini continued. “Now, the Vikings have a problem — Darnold has been almost too good (not in a bad way, but in a “this is now complicated” way). McCarthy hasn’t played since August, and realistically he won’t be fully in the mix until spring at the earliest. He’s around the building and with the team constantly but he hasn’t been medically cleared.”
Darnold has nibbled at MVP consideration this season, and his team is 14-2, one Sunday Night Football win away from homefield advantage in the postseason. The guy deserves a big contract in 2025 — from somebody.
“So, what’s the move? One option on the table: the franchise tag. It’s pricey (more than $40 million) but it buys time. It would give McCarthy another year to develop from the bench, or at least set up a real competition. (There’s nothing wrong with McCarthy sitting — think about what the Packers did with Jordan Love),” she noted.
“And it would give the Vikings a chance to do a shorter-term deal that’s more cap-friendly, yet also gives Darnold similar money to what he’d get on the open market.”
Most Vikings enthusiasts are living in the moment, enjoying the current season, and want to wait until March to discuss 2025 Vikings matters.
But let it be known that the tide could be turning in favor of keeping Darnold more so than most expected.
Darnold will turn 28 in June.
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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