The Minnesota Vikings are 13-2 this season and they will have major decisions to make about the quarterback position once the 2024 NFL season ends. Sam Darnold is having a career year with Minnesota. Many are wondering if he will be franchise-tagged, re-signed, or be let go.
Darnold this season has completed 67.2% of his passes for 3,776 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. This is the best he has ever played in his NFL career.
Fansided.com Writer John Buhler Thinks That the Minnesota Vikings Will Trade Quarterback Sam Darnold This Offseason
John Buhler of fansided.com gave his thoughts about what the Vikings should do with the quarterback situation moving forward. Buhler said about the current situation:
“While I would have no problem with the Minnesota Vikings going with Sam Darnold moving forward, they have made their bed with J.J. McCarthy and now they must lie in it. As the most raw first-round quarterback from this past year’s draft is working his way back from a season-ending knee injury, the former New York Jets ghost whisperer is having a season for the ages. All I can say is SKOL, brother!
It has been an open secret that the Vikings will pivot off Darnold in favor of McCarthy to start next season. The idea of him coming to Minnesota in the first place was to re-establish himself as an NFL starting quarterback after failing in New York and Carolina. Darnold passed his Vikings test with flying colors, looking to cash in on a massive, multi-year deal in free agency. Do the Vikings lose in all this?”
The interesting thing is that there is no question that Sam Darnold would get suitors on the open market. The Tennessee Titans, the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants, and the Las Vegas Raiders are some of the teams that could very well sign him in free agency.
J.J. McCarthy missed the entire 2024 season because of a torn meniscus. It would be interesting to see what would happen if McCarthy was the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings next year instead of Sam Darnold for head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Buhler also added about what the Vikings could potentially do with Darnold after this season:
“While I think it might be a huge mistake in letting Darnold walk, I could be more on board with letting him go if it can by way of a sign-and-trade of sorts. The Vikings brass owe it to themselves to see if McCarthy can actually play at the game’s highest level. They did move up a spot to take him No. 10 overall this past spring. The injury bothers me almost as much as his lack of experience at Michigan.
Overall, the sole reason I am willing to get behind the idea of a Darnold sign-and-trade is to receive some compensation for their loss of a strong quarterback to another team this offseason. I don’t know what he would garner on the market from a team like the Titans, but that team stinks, so those picks will be far more valuable than whatever the Vikings will be working with after the postseason.”
This could be a very dicey situation for the Minnesota Vikings. What they have to worry about first is trying to potentially win its first Super Bowl title in franchise history.
J.J. McCarthy Could Start In 2025 and Daniel Jones Could Backup
If Sam Darnold is not with the Minnesota Vikings next season, there is a world where J.J. McCarthy could start for the Vikings and Daniel Jones could be the backup quarterback. However, Minnesota could also decide to start Daniel Jones until McCarthy is ready to play full-time.
In reality, Minnesota is in no rush to start McCarthy despite being the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, the Vikings better get this decision right at the end of the season and the most likely scenario for them is to franchise tag Sam Darnold without trading him.
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