After a forgettable 2023 NFL season marred by injuries to some of the team’s best offensive players, the Minnesota Vikings headed into the NFL offseason with high hopes of building a promising future.
One way to do this was to bring the right people to the center for the job.
With the team releasing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as an NFL free agent and ultimately signing with the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings needed to address the quarterback position and had a first-round draft pick high enough to potentially land a franchise player.
Ultimately, the Vikings became one of six teams to select to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Minnesota got its hands on rookie JJ McCarthy from the University of Michigan, a team that advanced to the National Championship.
According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic (via The Purple Persuasion), McCarthy is likely a project and will need time to develop into a good NFL quarterback, so Minnesota could sign veteran journeyman Sam Darnold to potentially become a starter right away. They say there is.
sugar @Alec_Lewis, #Viking QB Sam Darnold “looked sharp” and said he “may have only thrown one INT in mandatory minicamp,” which may have been a byproduct of the receiver’s bad routes 😳
📸: John Oti pic.twitter.com/tf6DkfnSL5
— Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) June 18, 2024
A smart move heading into the 2024 campaign would be for the Vikings to start Darnold while also giving McCarthy time to develop and prove his value to the franchise.
Darnold hasn’t had success with any team he’s played for in the NFL since being drafted out of the University of Southern California, but a fresh start on a team with weapons could be a good opportunity to resurrect his career.
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JJ McCarthy is known to display an impressive work ethic.
