Now that the Minnesota Vikings’ season has ended, talk has turned to what the team plans to do with its two quarterbacks, rookie J.J. McCarthy and 2024 starter Sam Darnold.
Reports are now surfacing that McCarthy may answer where the team will turn next year when it comes to the starting QB position.
Vikings GM Says J.J. McCarthy May Have Started Before Injury
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gave an insight into where his team stands when it comes to their QB situation, and he has some interesting takes via SI.com.
“You’re talking about the most important position in our sport, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing to assemble a lot of talented players in that room who fit your vision, fit how you want to play football, fit from a personnel standpoint what you want to do,” Adofo-Mensah said.
Adofo-Mensah started out talking about the situation with Darnold, who had an MVP-type season but faded toward the end of the season into the playoffs and never recovered.
“We got to see Sam play some incredible football for us. Won a lot of big games,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’re talking about games where he won them for us. There was a lot of games where he was a ‘win because of’ type player. And you also have to net that with all of it in totality.”
Darnold threw for over 4,300 yards, 35 touchdowns, and had a PFN QB+ rating of B during the regular season and finished 12th overall.
J.J. McCarthy was WAYYYYYYY closer to starting over Sam Darnold than people think 👀
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gives us a MASSIVE tell:
“Again, we don’t know what was going to happen at the finish of training camp.” pic.twitter.com/hfHqoyxxfT
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) January 16, 2025
The big question is how McCarthy was doing and whether he would be well enough to start next year. He hinted if it wasn’t for injury, McCarthy may have ended up the starter.
The QB race was so tight that, according to the GM, they didn’t “know what was going to happen at the finish of training camp.”
McCarthy seems to be well on his way to recovery and competing for the starting position.
“He’s on the field, throwing and training,” Adofo-Mensah said. “He looks great. He’s excited. You talk about a kid who’s just obsessed with football and loves being around the game. We’re excited about what we have in him. We’re excited about this offseason for him. It’s a big offseason.”
“We’re really confident in him, his work ethic, and his preparation, but I can’t sit here and tell you I know anything for certain,” Adofo-Mensah said. “I know that I’m willing to believe in the person that we have. That position is about talent and preparation, and he’s got those things in spades. So if that’s the course of action we decide, we’ll go there confidently.”
It seems like the Vikings have an embarrassment of riches at QB, which will make their decision this offseason even more difficult.