totally understand the move<\/a><\/span> to go with the younger quarterback on a rookie deal, and signing these veteran players that you can maybe pay a little bit more while he\u2019s on his rookie deal, especially if you believe in him,\u201d Darnold said in a recent appearance on The San Clemente Podcast<\/i>. \u201cYeah, the business side of it, I totally understand. And like, I think J.J. [McCarthy] is a good player. I think he\u2019s going to be a really good player in this league. I truly believe that. And, you know, for them to see that and be like, \u201cAlright, we\u2019re gonna, you know, Sam, that was a great year,\u2019 but like the business part of it, it was like, \u2018OK, like, you know, I totally understand.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\nIt was perhaps more than a business consideration. Darnold\u2019s performance in a Week 18, winner-take-all, game at Detroit raised questions about his ability to deliver in the biggest moments. (The wild-card loss eight days later was much more of a total-team failure, especially on the offensive side of the ball.) The Vikings ultimately had to decide whether to make the kind of commitment to Darnold that could have kept McCarthy on the bench for too long.<\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019s not as if Darnold broke the bank. His three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks had a one-year out, with a base package of $37.5 million paid in the first season. This year, he\u2019s making $27.5 million. Which is well below the current market rate. (He deserves a raise, frankly.) The Vikings could have found a way to keep him, if they wanted.<\/p>\n
There was a more political issue at play. The Vikings had traded up from No. 11 to No. 10 to draft McCarthy. They needed to see what he could do.<\/p>\n
But, as history now shows, they also needed to have an accomplished veteran with starting experience, in the event that McCarthy was injured (he was) or struggled (he did). That\u2019s how the 2025 Vikings season collapsed, and it surely played a role in the decision to fire G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.<\/p>\n
The Vikings tried to keep Daniel Jones. But he didn\u2019t think he\u2019d win the starting job. Jones instead went to the Colts, where he was more confident he\u2019d become QB1, and he did.<\/p>\n
This year, the Vikings got a massive bargain in Kyler Murray as the McCarthy alternative. And the coming season will answer many questions.<\/p>\n
Will the Vikings decide to keep Murray, who wisely negotiated a no-tag clause for 2027? Will McCarthy step up and secure the long-term job? Will the Vikings be starting over at the position?<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no guarantee the Vikings would have had a dramatically better season if they\u2019d kept Darnold or Jones. Still, even with the various struggles at the most important position on the field, the Vikings nearly won enough games to get to the postseason. It won\u2019t take much to get them over the hump, as it relates to getting to the playoffs. <\/p>\n
The question is whether the Vikings can do more than that. They haven\u2019t won a playoff game since 2019, and coach Kevin O\u2019Connell is 0-2 in the postseason. For as high as the Vikings were riding through 16 games of the 2024 season, there has been a hard fall. This year, it will be critical to turn things around \u2014 and then to sustain it into the next one.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n