The Minnesota Vikings appeared to be in a win-win situation at the quarterback position entering their regular-season finale.
They had Sam Darnold playing out of his mind, fresh off his first Pro Bowl nod and poised to lead the Vikings deep into the postseason. They also had rookie J.J. McCarthy stashed away on injured reserve, affording the team a rare blend of insurance and options at the QB position going forward.
Everything changed, however, over Minnesota’s final two games of the 2024 season.
The Vikings were throttled by the Detroit Lions, 31-9, in Week 18 on Sunday Night Football, in a game that decided the NFC North division title and No. 1 playoff seed. One week later, playing the Los Angeles Rams at a neutral site due to the L.A. wildfires, Minnesota was bounced from the playoffs, 27-9, in a game that felt over before halftime.
Darnold looked tight in those two games with the lights shining the brightest. He held the football and took 11 combined sacks — nine of them in the playoff game vs. the Rams — while completing a woeful 53% of his passes. His fumble that got returned for a touchdown by Rams star Jared Verse in the second quarter not only sealed Minnesota’s fate for 2024, but appeared to signal the start of the McCarthy era entering 2025.
Not so fast, warns ESPN staff writer Ben Solak.
Asked recently for his big prediction for the Vikings’ 2025 offseason, Solak dropped a seriously bold take, tabbing Darnold — not McCarthy — as the team’s QB of the future. Here was his full take:
