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Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on after a loss to the Los Angeles Rams during the NFC Wild Card Playoff.
When it comes to J.J. McCarthy, the Minnesota Vikings need worry no more.

Recovering from meniscus surgery last August, McCarthy’s health has been a crux of consideration for the Vikings’ future at quarterback.

Kevin O’Connell has maintained he does not want to rush the 2024 10th overall pick into playing even before his injury,  hence the decision to sign Sam Darnold to a one-year deal a year ago.

Darnold exceeded expectations and forced at least a conversation about an extension in Minnesota. If McCarthy’s recovery did not go according to plan, keeping Darnold would make sense.

However, NFL Network insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport put McCarthy’s health concerns to rest.

“McCarthy, who had a full repair of his torn meniscus in August and an additional procedure in November, is expected to begin football drills in the next few weeks and should be ready to roll by OTAs in May,” they reported on February 9.

While the Vikings have internally monitored McCarthy’s recovery daily, this is the first report leaked to the official media arm of the NFL.

McCarthy still has much to prove before he takes over as the Vikings’ starting quarterback, but he is poised to compete for the job — which dampens Darnold’s chances of returning.

Sam Darnold’s Chances of Return to Vikings Nixed
Let’s get this out of the way: if Darnold agreed to sign on for another one-year, $10 million deal, the Vikings would pounce at the opportunity.

However, Darnold maximized his earning potential by becoming the first quarterback to ever win 14 games with a new team. He threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl mention and the first playoff berth of his career.

Darnold raised his floor as a quarterback immensely this season, but his ceiling seems capped as a seventh-year veteran. O’Connell coached him up, but he ultimately floundered in the biggest moments of the season.

Now is his time to cash in.

Darnold is expected to garner a contract somewhere between $30 million to $40 million a season as the No. 1 free-agent quarterback available alongside a weak quarterback draft class.

There will be a team willing to break the bank for him, much like what the Atlanta Falcons did with Kirk Cousins last year. The Vikings will also be unwilling to match that offer with the idea in mind that Darnold would merely be competing for the starting job.

Darnold’s career cratered to the point he was a backup for the San Francisco 49ers for the 2023 season. He deserves to be a starting quarterback; not in long-term competition to be one in Minnesota — a message O’Connell delivered during Super Bowl Week.

“I believe Sam has kind of played himself into being kind of the marquee free agent quarterback available,” O’Connell told CBS Sports on February 7. “I do believe that his teammates and coaches and our front office and myself, we would love to have Sam back in Minnesota. But at the same time we do feel very confident in J.J. McCarthy. He’s healthy. We drafted him 10th overall for a reason in what was, in my opinion, a historically good quarterback draft last year.”

Vikings Still Need Someone to Play the Sam Darnold Role
As the Vikings wait to see if McCarthy is fully prepared to be the starting quarterback, they’ll need to sign a veteran insurance policy to fill the role Darnold signed up for last March.

Daniel Jones is the most likely candidate after his trial run with the team to finish the 2024 season. After his release from the New York Giants in November, Jones signed with the Vikings and spent the majority of the season on the practice squad, learning the offense he may potentially run in 2025.