The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2024 NFL regular season with a 14-3 record, second in the NFC North Division rankings behind the Detroit Lions. As you might have guessed or known, Sam Darnold was the main powerhouse behind their brilliant display.
However, the postseason proved to be tough even for the Vikings’ main man. This raised some questions about Darnold’s role in the team, which their head coach, Kevin O’Connell, clarified recently.
Kevin O’Connell Looks Open to Different Possibilities
O’Connell appeared on the Fitz & Whit podcast on March 4, where he addressed the elephant in the room. The Vikings head coach didn’t shy away from expressing his feelings about Darnold’s future with the team. At the same time, he shared hope about Minnesota’s future, especially with the emergence of an effective quarterback in J.J. McCarthy.
“I’m fired up about J.J.’s future”
Coach O’Connell is looking ahead to the Vikings' future
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The Vikings HC explained, “That’s probably the hardest part of this job. The facts are there’s no way to avoid the business side of the NFL. We’re hoping that there’s positives that come out of that. Sometimes it’s a situation where this time of year it can’t always work out that you keep the same team every single year, and I’ve used that phrase before, and it wasn’t just with Sam. It was with Kirk as well.”
“He’s earned the right to be a free agent. What I mean by that is I never earned the right to be a free agent. Be somebody that multiple teams are vying for my services. Like that’s a good thing. There are so many layers to it, as you guys know.”
While Darnold played exceptionally well in the regular season, occupying the 12th spot in the PFN QB+ rankings, it was the postseason that let him down. He was sacked nine times against the Rams in the Wild Card round, tying a playoff record.
If that wasn’t enough, the 27-year-old has also not gotten the franchise tag this season, which essentially means that he is a free agent. Currently, he occupies the 11th spot in the PFN 100 ranked free agents for the 2025 season. All of this corresponds with the rise of Minnesota’s 2024 first-round NFL Draft pick, McCarthy.
“How one move might affect another position. How Sam’s decision might be about some things that are important to him, and vice-versa with the organization. We’re absolutely fired up about JJ McCarthy. There’s a reason why, after a really long, extensive process, we decided to make him a Minnesota Viking, and I am fired up about JJ’s future,” O’Connell expounded.
“And where he’s at coming off of a really unfortunate injury, I mean, the guy, you know, he’s had success basically every year he’s ever played football. I mean, he is all ball all the time. I mean sunup to sundown and beyond. I want what’s best for Sam, and I want what’s best for the Minnesota Vikings to win games and look forward to kinda seeing how this all plays out.”
Riding on McCarthy’s exceptional skills, the Michigan Wolverines had an undefeated season, followed by bagging the championship title in 2023. Though he tore his meniscus during his first pre-season game and was sidelined for the 2024 season, the Vikings look to rest their expectations on McCarthy. Additionally, O’Connell might have dropped the same hints without going into many details. But does it mean an end to Darnold’s journey with the Vikings?
Sam Darnold Unlikely To Find Many Options
If experts are to be believed, Darnold might have to play a supporting role to McCarthy. The situation doesn’t seem too positive for Darnold, who might find it difficult to start even if he chooses to part ways with his current team.
If he signs up with Tennessee, Las Vegas, or New York, he might again play a bridge-type role. Another issue to consider is that the Vikings avoided giving Darnold the franchise tag since it would have cost them $40.2 million. It remains to be seen if any other team would be ready to take him up as a starter for this price. But all’s not lost for Darnold.
Darnold can try getting along with the Rams, where he might be a replacement for Matthew Stafford if he retires. While these are far-fetched predictions, what remains to be seen is whether O’Connell’s statement is the end of Dornald’s reign at the Vikings.