Getty
Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on after a loss to the Los Angeles Rams during the NFC Wild Card Playoff.
The Minnesota Vikings have shown their patience with J.J. McCarthy and may be on the look for a replacement or Sam Darnold this season.
While Daniel Jones is considered a candidate to fill that bridge quarterback role, another potential name in free agency has emerged.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin played quarterback matchmaker ahead of the NFL offseason and pitched the Vikings signing of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“At 33, Garoppolo is older and less explosive than Sam Darnold, the Vikings’ 2024 starter. He’s also likely to come much cheaper, and he played on some big stages under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with the San Francisco 49ers. He could be another placeholder until young J.J. McCarthy is ready,” Benjamin wrote on January 28.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s Super Bowl Pedigree
GettyJimmy Garoppolo.
A 2014 second-round pick by the New England Patriots, Garoppolo learned behind Tom Brady and won two Super Bowl rings in New England before the 49ers traded for him during the 2017 season.
San Francisco started that season 0-8 before trading for Garoppolo in Kyle Shanahan’s first year. Garoppolo took over in Week 13 and led the 49ers to five straight wins to close the season. His performance garnered a five-year, $137.5 million contract as San Francisco had seemingly found their quarterback.
Garopollo tore his ACL in 2018 but realized the 49ers’ offensive potential the following season.
San Francisco boasted the No. 2 scoring offense in the league in 2019 en route to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2012, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-20. He threw for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 102.0 quarterback rating.
Garoppollo led a loaded roster to two more NFC title game appearances but has not reached the Super Bowl again. Garoppolo broke his left foot during the 2022 season and ultimately did not play another game in San Francisco with the emergence of Brock Purdy and his contract expiring.
He went 3-4 as a starter for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 and was a backup for the Los Angeles Rams in 2024, but his pedigree in Shanahan’s offense could be a boon in Minnesota.
Jimmy Garoppolo an Ideal Mentor for Vikings’ McCarthy
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up during training camp.
Garoppolo, 33, has passed his prime, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t bring value to the Vikings quarterback room.
Darnold will prove hard to keep. There are too many quarterback-needy teams in an offseason with a shallow free agent and draft class. Jones could even find better prospects to play outside of Minnesota despite his trial run with the team for the remainder of the 2024 season.
If both go elsewhere this spring, Garoppolo could be a fit with his familiarity with the offense of head coach Kevin O’Connell, a Shanahan disciple.
While he would be in competition with McCarthy for the starting job, Garoppolo could serve as a mentor for McCarthy and add value to the quarterback room.
He mentored Aidan O’Connell for the past two seasons in Las Vegas.
“Just like you would expect with a professional (like Garoppolo),” former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said in 2023, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “A great teammate. He’s back there taking every rep mentally. (Scout) team gives us one of the best looks that we can get from obviously a starting quarterback at this level who can do it at a high level.
“Even more importantly, I think how he’s handled himself in the meeting rooms, being that voice of somebody that’s been there, done that. There’s things that coaches give, and there’s things that your teammates and professional athletes can give another professional athlete, and those tips go a long way.”
