Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is playing the best football of his NFL career, throwing for 4,153 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while rushing for 202 yards and a score. After leading Minnesota to a 14-2 record, the veteran quarterback earned his first Pro Bowl selection.
But entering this season, there was no guarantee that Darnold would be the season-long starter since the Vikings drafted former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, McCarthy suffered a serious injury during the preseason, paving the way for Darnold to start the entirety of the 2024 season.
Let’s examine McCarthy’s injury, his timeline to return, and the tough decision Minnesota’s front office will have to make this offseason.
What Is J.J. McCarthy’s Injury?
McCarthy suffered his injury during his preseason debut against the Las Vegas Raiders on Aug. 10 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Darnold started the game and played one series, giving way to McCarthy to handle the rest of the first quarter and second and third quarters.
McCarthy threw an interception on his third attempt, but he ultimately completed 11 of 17 passes for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick.
McCarthy demonstrated poise and athleticism by moving around in the pocket and scrambling twice for 18 yards, helping him avoid taking any sacks.
Unfortunately, McCarthy’s season-ending injury overshadowed his on-field production. It’s still unclear when exactly he injured his knee. Two days after the game, McCarthy missed the Vikings’ night practice. Then, the team announced that he would undergo a procedure to determine why he was experiencing discomfort in his right knee.
The exploratory surgery became a season-ending meniscus repair, which landed McCarthy on the injured reserve.
The recovery timeline for this surgery is typically six to eight months, which is why the rookie ended up on season-ending injured reserve rather than short-term injured reserve.
In November, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed that McCarthy underwent a second surgery on his knee due to swelling. However, McCarthy stressed that even after a second procedure and biologic injection, McCarthy’s timeline to return remained the same.
The hope is that McCarthy will be healthy and ready to take the field alongside his teammates when the 2025 offseason program commences in April.
But will McCarthy enter next season as Minnesota’s starting quarterback?
Sam Darnold’s Play Shocked the NFL
It initially seemed that Darnold had signed as a backup quarterback to McCarthy, but his career has had a rebirth. Darnold has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Darnold’s QB+ metric, according to PFN’s stats and insights, sits at 82.4 through 17 weeks of the 2024 NFL season, good for a B-.
Darnold’s QB+ rating currently ranks 12th in the NFL ahead of quarterbacks like Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love (80.2), Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert (77.8), Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson (77.7), and Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (76.7).
If it wasn’t for the excellent campaigns from Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Darnold would probably be in the running for NFL MVP.
Given his play, many NFL analysts are wondering if the Vikings should consider signing Darnold to a huge contract even after selecting McCarthy so high. There have even been rumblings that Minnesota could look to trade McCarthy and permanently hand the reins to Darnold.
Is McCarthy on the Trade Block?
ESPN’s Adam Scheffer has speculated that the Vikings may be in the market to trade McCarthy, while ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said that people around the NFL believe the Vikings will keep Darnold (as long as he isn’t looking to be a top-10 highest-paid quarterback).
Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd also thinks McCarthy may be traded. In fact, he believes those talks have already started.
“Of course they are. He’s talented, and it’s a terrible quarterback draft, and seven teams need a quarterback,” Cowherd said, reacting to Schefter’s report about teams likely calling the Vikings.
“This is something to remember. Why did the Minnesota Vikings in November bring in Daniel Jones? Why? Because maybe they were ahead of us,” he added.
One team he thinks may be in the market for McCarthy could be the Seattle Seahawks.
“The Vikings don’t have a second-, third-, or fourth-round pick. It’s a terrible quarterback class. Seattle, you think they’re going to go back with Geno Smith again? They could get J.J. McCarthy for a second and a fourth, maybe a second, fourth and fifth,” Cowherd said. “The Vikings get their draft picks. They’re franchise-tagging, at minimum, Sam Darnold.
“Kevin O’Connell liked Sam Darnold before he was a Viking. Kyle Shanahan liked Darnold before he was [with the San Francisco 49ers]. Now he’s putting up an MVP season, they’ve made a decision: ‘We like Darnold, we’re not letting him go.’ Why did they bring in Daniel Jones? Because they wanted to get him into the system, ready to play for a playoff game. In my take, they’ll rehab Daniel Jones like they rehabbed Sam Darnold.”
If the Vikings do slap the franchise tag on Darnold or give him a multi-year deal, that makes it more than likely that McCarthy is gone. For now, he is still rehabbing and trying to control what he can control.