ESPN Hints at Frontrunner for Vikings QB Decision
The Minnesota Vikings have about three realistic options at quarterback next season.
ESPN Hints at Frontrunner for Vikings QB Decision
They can proceed with Sam Darnold, extending his contract this offseason and deterring him from testing free agency. The purple team can also explore a franchise tag-and-trade with Darnold, hoping to seize a draft pick for his services while limiting his personal options and say in the matter. Or the Vikings can let Darnold leave in free agency and roll with J.J. McCarthy for the future.
Those are the choices if Minnesota isn’t interested in a wild idea like signing Aaron Rodgers or trading for Matthew Stafford. And thanks to ESPN, a hint became clear this week: the team will likely roll with McCarthy, the youngster.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote, “What’s next: How Minnesota allocates its healthy cap trove will be worth monitoring this offseason. The big question: Do the Vikings pay Sam Darnold? They haven’t made a firm determination on this, but many around the league see them starting over with J.J. McCarthy if a new suitor prices Darnold out of Minnesota.”
“Like with Kirk Cousins, the Vikings won’t mortgage their future on a free agent quarterback contract.”
And that feeling from “many around the league” aligns with sportsbooks’ odds and Vikings fans’ preference. Darnold played wonderfully in 2024 for 16 games but faceplaned in the season’s final two games, ending Minnesota’s season in Round 1 of the playoffs.
Most would rather thank Darnold for his service and start the McCarthy era, which seems feasible per the Fowler reporting.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell commented on his team’s quarterback plans last weekend, a hot topic among the team’s fan base. “We drafted him 10th overall for a reason,” O’Connell told CBS Sports on Saturday about McCarthy, his 22-year-old passer.
O’Connell added, “I believe Sam has played himself into being kind of the marquee free-agent quarterback available. I do believe that his teammates and coaches and, our front office, and myself would love to have Sam back in Minnesota. But at the same time we do feel very confident in J.J. McCarthy. He’s healthy.”
Onlookers interpreted those comments as Darnold’s marching orders to free agency and a commitment to McCarhty for the long haul. After all, Minnesota drafted McCarthy with 1st-Round capital last April. The man must start at some point, and all signs point to September 2025.
If Darnold leaves for a new team in March, Minnesota is tentatively expected to re-sign Daniel Jones for “the Darnold role” in 2025.
Darnold’s estimated market value heading into free agency is about $40 million annually.
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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