The Vikings’ QB Controversy that Undid Itself Prior to Becoming a Reality
Safe to say the conversation would be different if J.J. McCarthy had a healthy, functional knee. Following the opening preseason game, though, the rookie passer had to go under the knife, ending his debut season before it officially began.
In so doing, the Vikings’ QB controversy was settled. Sam Darnold would be the top passer.
The 2024 season has been going reasonably well for Minnesota. After all, we’re talking about a 7-2 team that’s firmly in the playoff race in a very competitive NFC. Most recently, Darnold struggled, winning against the Jags despite his play rather than because of his play. Minnesota has no plans of inserting someone else at quarterback.
The Vikings’ QB Controversy that Undid Itself
Earlier in the week, Dustin Baker ventured into the topic on Vikings Territory.
“McCarthy won’t return in 2024 after tearing his meniscus in August,” Baker writes, “leaving the depth chart outfitted with Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Brett Rypien. Benching Darnold would entail a healthy dose of Mullens, who started 3 games for the Vikings last year.”
Baker continues: “But what’s the one knock on Mullens? Interceptions. Yes, those. Veering away from Darnold to Mullens might even involve more interceptions, evidenced by Mullens’ performance last year. While Mullens has no problem advancing the ball downfield at a gunslinger’s clip, he has a gunslinger’s accuracy and is unafraid of throwing the ball to the other team.”
Indeed, the Vikings don’t exactly have a great option outside of Mr. Darnold.
Mullens is a strong QB2, someone who can keep the ship afloat if there’s an injury to the top passer. Leaning on him to be a weekly starter, however, seems like too much at this stage. There’s an issue with interceptions but also some limitations with his arm strength.
Meanwhile, Rypien is in town as the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option. Tossing the QB3 into the starter’s role would be a signal that things have gone very, very poorly from a health standpoint.
Just imagine, though, how things would look if McCarthy was still around. All of the sudden, the conversation would be seasoned with a bit of extra salt.
Rather than options that aren’t really that — options — the Vikings could turn to a promising passer who’s supposed to be the franchise quarterback for the next decade or more. Now that would be a QB controversy. And, no, there is no merit to the idea of Minnesota onboarding Ryan Tannehill to take over the top job.
For better or worse, Sam Darnold is the top passer in Minnesota. He has struggled recently but the talent is still present. Even more promising, the Vikings’ offense is now boasting its full array of weapons: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and T.J. Hockenson. Mr. Darnold is still figuring out how to work all of these options into the attack, especially since Jalen Nailor, Josh Oliver, and Cam Akers are all earning touches, too.
For just $10 million on a single-season deal, Mr. Darnold is offering the Vikings 68.6% passing for 2,141 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. More importantly, the wins have been plentiful.
Next up are the Tennessee Titans and a defense that’s coming in at 1st in the NFL for passing yards allowed.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.