When the Minnesota Vikings used the 10th pick i n the 2024 NFL Draft to select JJ McCarthy, the expectation was that the former Michigan Wolverine would be the starter in Minnesota soon enough. Even if it wasn't immediately, McCarthy represented the future for the Vikings. However, a knee injury put McCarthy's rookie season to bed before it could even begin, and now the future — at least the immediate future — could be represented by journeyman signal-caller Sam Darnold.
Sam Darnold was supposed to be nothing more than a stop-gap option for the Vikings… a transitional quarterback who could take the lumps in 2024 that would've been damaging to the development of their prized rookie. But the Vikings and Darnold didn't get the memo that the 2024 season was supposed to be one in which this franchise prepared for the future. Minnesota is 13-2 and still in the hunt for the top seed in the NFC, and it's been Darnold's play that has propelled the team toward Super Bowl contention.
Heading into Week 17, Darnold ranks 7th in the league in passing yards (3,776), 5th in passing touchdowns (32) and 4th in passer rating (105.4). These numbers are good enough to put the seven-year veteran in the MVP conversation, and maybe more impressive, force the Vikings to re-evaluate their plans for the future.
Per NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic:
“Darnold is having the best season of his career, leading the Vikings to a 13-2 record. 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.”
Russini went on to explain that thanks to Sam Darnold's performance this season, along with McCarthy's slow recovery from preseason surgery, this is now officially a ‘complicated' situation in Minnesota. By the time McCarthy can make meaningful strides on the field, it will be spring, and the Vikings will have had to make a decision on what to do with Darnold at that point. This could lead to a situation where despite the cost, the Vikings will be forced to franchise tag Darnold ahead of the 2025 season.
“It’s pricey (more than $40 million) but it buys time,” writes Russini. “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.) 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.”
Given how this season has gone, Sam Darnold can expect to receive a serious payday this spring, regardless of whether it's with Minnesota or elsewhere. And considering Darnold's age — he's still only 27 years old — it's possible that his best football is still in front of him. He's voiced his desire to remain in Minnesota, and it's possible he's already done enough to force the Vikings' hand to keep him there.