The Minnesota Vikings drafted national champion J.J. McCarthy from Michigan with their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft. While a great pick for the Vikings since the departure of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, McCarthy still has some work to do before being able to fit in at a professional level. Some young rookies can fit right in such as C.J. Stroud, or Joe Burrow. Others tend to struggle to find their place in the league such as Mac Jones, or Bryce Young. A lot of Vikings fans expect McCarthy to get the start right away, but they forget the Minnesota Vikings were able to pick up a seasoned veteran in Sam Darnold.
Sam Darnold Will End Up Being QB1 For The Minnesota Vikings, In The Beginning
The Minnesota Vikings brought in quarterback Sam Darnold to be the starting quarterback for this group, in an effort to win more football games. While he might be a bridge to J.J. McCarthy, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be there to sit around and help the young rookie. He’s here to win, that’s why the Vikings thought when they signed him and it’s standing out during minicamp. For example, SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad was live at Vikings minicamp and believes that the job is safely Sam Darnold’s right now saying:
For anyone who thought you know, there’s a fighting chance that Sam Darnold might lose the job to JJ McCarthy. I’m going to tell you right now, I don’t expect that. Darnold throughout the offseason in the camp so far, the OTAs, he has been the number on quarterback. Nick Mullens is behind him and then McCarthy and Jaren Hall are working with the backups. This is Darnold’s job, and Darnold looks pretty good.
He’s got some nice tough on the football. I think it might be security to see what he has. I think the Minnesota Vikings also are being very cautious not to rush change in McCarthy and that is on display every time we come out here for an open practice, at least during the offseason.”
This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. The players haven’t even put the pads on, but they will be extra careful with McCarthy’s development. The Minnesota Vikings organization understands how important it is to nurture young quarterback talent, and rushing McCarthy could end up being a huge disaster in Minnesota, and could ruin everything they’re trying to build.
Sam Darnold Has Always Had The Potential To Be A Good Quarterback
Sam Darnold has always had the talent to be a good quarterback, but he hasn’t always been able to put it together for multiple different reasons. He’s in the best situation he’s been in his career with multiple great weapons such as Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Brandon Powell, and even Aaron Jones. He also has a very solid offensive line and a top-line play caller in coach Kevin O’Connell, Darnold could take a major step forward and earn himself a lot of money with his next team once McCarthy is ready to step up.
Head Coach Kevin O’Connell has refused to say when McCarthy could take over, choosing instead to remain patient with the young man’s development. The patience the team is leaning into with McCarthy likely means Darnold has a good shot of being the starting quarterback in Week 1 against the Giants. Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller also had high praise for the early returns on Darnold in a recent mailbag when he was asked to compare the two he had this to say:
They definitely have similar velocity on the ball. Darnold is more refined with his throwing. There’s more touch on the ball and it comes out pretty effortlessly. Darnold’s ability to make throws without a good platform can really wow you, He doesn’t need space or momentum or even a wind up to put velocity on the ball. I don’t see that exactly with McCarthy, though when he’s on the move or stepping into throws they are just as fast.”
