The Minnesota Vikings have a Sam Darnold conundrum
What a difference a couple of weeks can make.
Just over ten days ago, the Vikings were preparing for a Week 18 showdown with their NFC North rivals in the Detroit Lions. Both on 14 wins, they were looking to not only seal the division but also the number one seed.
Detroit ended up beating down on the Vikings. Only four points separated them at halftime, but the final result saw a gap of 22 as Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs ran for four touchdowns. As a result, Minnesota were given the somewhat unwanted title of being the first team in NFL history to win 14 games and be a wildcard team.
The Lions defeat was seen as a blip, but they were still seen as favourites for the Wildcard Round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, despite being on the road.
At what ended up being a neutral venue due to the tragic events in Los Angeles, the Vikings were outplayed by the Rams in Arizona, with Sam Darnold sacked nine times. This is a record for any playoff game, another unwanted record for Darnold and the Vikings.
Darnold has been criticised by many for his performance, as he repeatedly struggled in the pocket. This has led to many believing that his time is up in Minnesota, just two weeks after people were calling for the Vikings to sign Darnold to a new deal and to trade away rookie JJ McCarthy, whose injury allowed the former third overall pick to put up a Comeback Player of the Year season, by far the best of his career. This now leaves the Vikings in a dilemma.
“This year will always be something that has a special place in my heart”
With the inexperience of McCarthy at the NFL level, combined with a recovery from a lengthy injury, there’s still a chance that the Vikings bring Darnold back on another one-year deal. However, the comments from head coach Kevin O’Connell after their loss to the Rams imply that this will not be the case. He said: “Far too many negatives. Really, over the last two weeks, too many negative plays that set you behind.
“It’s important we all think about Sam’s body of work, what he was able to do this year when not many thought he would be able to lead a team to 14 wins. It did not work out in the end, and I think Sam would be the first one to tell you, could he have played better tonight? I’m sure he would tell you he could have. Could I have coached better? I’m positive I could have.”
“I think that can stay with him moving forward as he goes back to work. Proud of him. Proud of everybody in that locker room but Sam and the journey him and I went on this year will always be something that has a special place in my heart, for sure.”
Stick with Darnold or commit to McCarthy as the future?
The comments from O’Connell raise suggestions they will look to start McCarthy in 2025, but should this be the case? As previously stated, McCarthy is recovering from a season ending injury but he will relish going into a team with weapons such as Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to throw to, and Aaron Jones to hand the ball off to, despite the offensive line allowing Darnold to be in the top 5 for most sacked quarterbacks in the 2024 campaign. Add in a defense that may have been the fifth worst when it comes to the passing game, but also had the second best run defense, then this is a team that can certainly go far with good quarterback play, as this season showed.
McCarthy lost just one game with Michigan in college, under the guidance of Jim Harbaugh, where he only had 11 interceptions in three seasons. Once he plays, he will be led by another good head coach in Kevin O’Connell.
However, there are no other quarterbacks available in Free Agency, with Darnold being the standout figure. They could take a punt on Trey Lance, but you may as well do this with McCarthy, and Drew Lock and Jacoby Brissett do not set your pulses racing. It might be easier to just stick with Darnold, someone who they have at least had success with during the regular season, whilst McCarthy learns.
For every CJ Stroud and Jayden Daniels, players who have been a success instantly, there is also the likes of Zach Wilson and Josh Rosen, players who have struggled in their first two seasons and never recovered. We have seen three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes and two-time MVP winner Lamar Jackson both sit behind Alex Smith and Joe Flacco respectively, and we all know what happened after Aaron Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre. With the best receiver in the league in Jefferson along with Addison, you do not want to waste their best years with mediocre quarterback play.
The ball is in Minnesota’s court, and this leaves a very difficult offseason decision for the franchise.