Sportsnaut
Three quarterbacks from the Minnesota Vikings‘ 2024 roster are now starters in 2025. Sam Darnold used a Pro Bowl season to cash in on a $100 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks. Daniel Jones was only in Kevin O’Connell’s QB school for roughly two months, but he was able to land a contract with the Indianapolis Colts, and he’s since become the starter too.
Then there’s J.J. McCarthy, who the Vikings ultimately decided to ride with, despite the 2024 first-round pick having never played a real snap in the NFL. So far, Darnold and Jones look like Pro Bowl quarterbacks, and McCarthy looks like a 22-year-old who’s set to experience a lot of growing pains.
The Vikings seemingly had their choice of the three quarterbacks. Darnold apparently left for more money. The Vikings offered Jones more than the Colts did, but Indianapolis had something Minnesota didn’t: a starting opportunity.
Now, NFL executives who spoke anonymously to The Athletic’s Mike Sando are privately ripping the Vikings’ QB decision to roll with McCarthy instead of Darnold for the foreseeable future. One exec even called the decision “crazy.”
Meanwhile, it’s not even McCarthy in the starting lineup right now. The Vikings obviously couldn’t have predicted another McCarthy injury, but having Carson Wentz as their starting quarterback wasn’t part of the plan either.
Ultimately, it’s far too early to determine whether the Vikings should have stuck with Darnold, Jones, or someone else for the 2025 season instead of McCarthy. The young QB needs experience, and the only way to find out whether he’s the real deal or not is to throw him to the dogs.
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