Shortly after Kirk Cousins made the decision to leave the Twin Cities and sign with the Atlanta Falcons earlier this year, the Minnesota Vikings agreed to a contract with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold.
With the Vikings signing Darnold to a one-year deal worth $10 million, most have assumed that the former No. 3 overall draft pick was brought in by the team to be a bridge quarterback and help out while Minnesota gets one of the top 2024 passing prospects ready to be their longtime starter.
Despite it being made almost crystal clear that Darnold is not the Vikings' long-term answer as their starting quarterback, some still believe that he has the potential to develop into the signal-caller that many thought he could become when he was a top-three draft pick in 2018.
Former NFL QB thinks Sam Darnold "is not a bad option" for the Minnesota Vikings
With the 2024 NFL Draft now a little more than a week away from beginning, many still believe Minnesota is going to attempt to land one of this year's top quarterback prospects in the opening round.
During a discussion about which 2024 passing prospect might be the best fit for the Vikings, former NFL quarterback David Carr recently said the following during a recent episode of "NFL Total Access" on NFL Network.
"I think as much ammo as might have to be able to , when you look at it, it's almost like Sam Darnold is not a bad option.
...I think offensively, when you look at the system that going to run, Sam a really good job and he did a good job in San Francisco and I think he would do a great job in Minnesota.
So you're not really in a situation where you have to stress, or you have to push the gas pedal down on this and make something happen."
Carr also added that when it comes to former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is believed to be one of the top passing prospects in this year's draft pool, he would argue that "Sam Darnold might have a better skill-set."
It's really amazing what a year with the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan can do for a player's public perception. Darnold has literally displayed nothing during his time in the NFL that should lead Carr to think the former San Francisco signal-caller can be a legitimate starter for the Vikings next season.
But for whatever reason, people like Carr still don't want to give up on Darnold, and it likely has to do with the fact that he was a high draft pick not too long ago. Perhaps Carr, who was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2002 NFL Draft, sees some of himself in Minnesota's new quarterback, and he doesn't want people to lose hope on him just yet.
In this case, actions speak louder than words because if the Vikings truly believe Darnold could emerge as a legit replacement for Cousins next season, then they probably would have signed him to a contract longer than just one year.