The Minnesota Vikings made the tough decision to move on from Kirk Cousins last offseason. They used their top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy to hopefully fill his shoes.
A preseason knee injury forced McCarthy to the sidelines. The Vikings moved on to their next-best option for the 2024 NFL season, inserting Sam Darnold into the starting role and hoping he could deliver a solid year.
Darnold surprised people by leading Minnesota to a 14-win season and looking like the player many experts and analysts thought he could be when he was drafted No. 3 overall to the New York Jets out of USC in 2018.
Now, Darnold is set to become a free agent and J.J. McCarthy has had time to recover from his injury. Opinions on what the purple and gold should do at quarterback for the upcoming season vary wildly, but a new report could make that decision clearer.
New J.J. McCarthy report steers Minnesota Vikings toward logical Sam Darnold decision
Recently, Sports Illustrated released an article full of takeaways from around the league learned during Super Bowl week. One takeaway involves the Minnesota Vikings and their quarterback situation heading into the 2025 NFL season.
"The Minnesota Vikings are really happy with J.J. McCarthy. He’s back moving around and throwing, and will have a full offseason following August’s meniscus repair and a subsequent second procedure in the fall that turned out to be more of a cleanup than anything else."Sports Illustrated
It would be hard for the Vikings to want to match another team's offer for Sam Darnold to be their starting quarterback if they are excited about J.J. McCarthy and are optimistic that he will be ready when the 2025 season rolls around.
This report doesn't close the door on Sam Darnold returning to Minnesota, However, it casts plenty of doubt that the Vikings would be as willing to dig deep into their pockets for his services if McCarthy is ready for action.
One thing for sure is that this report on J.J. McCarthy leaves the Minnesota Vikings open to go multiple directions at quarterback. Since this will only be the second year of his rookie deal, there isn't any rush to throw the National Champion quarterback into the mix, especially if the team would feel more comfortable with an experienced passer behind center in 2025.