Kevin O’Connell (Sort Of) Names the Vikings’ QB1
As expected, Sam Darnold is the leader to be the Week 1 starter.
On Wednesday, Kevin O’Connell spoke with the Minnesota media. O’Connell, as per usual, was chatty, venturing into a variety of topics across roughly 17 minutes of press conference time. When things came around to Darnold and the QB hierarchy, the head coach confirmed that the veteran journeyman is sitting in the top spot.
Kevin O’Connell Puts Sam Darnold in the Top Spot…Sort Of
The issue is that there’s no official depth chart, so there’s a limit to how far we can push the proclamation. Nothing is officially official.
“We haven’t had to put out a depth chart or anything like that,” O’Connell notes, “but yeah I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon the spring he’s had. And really where’s he at in his career, in his quarterback journey. And what he’s been able to do coming in and really hit the ground running and really kind of take advantage of a competitive situation.”
Notably, O’Connell goes on to toss praise over to J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall shortly thereafter. Some of that is standard O’Connell optimism, but it’s a good reminder that the QB competition is a crowded one.
Part of the intrigue within the Darnold response is that O’Connell sees positive things in how Darnold has been performing. There’s a reflection on the broader “journey” but then a more immediate performance from the spring. Darnold has stepped into the competition and done the best.
Truth be told, the expectation was always to see Mr. Darnold in pole position at this stage. The man landed a $10 million commitment during the offseason, a surefire indication that Minnesota viewed him as more than just a QB2/3.
The money alone suggested that Minnesota was catapulting Darnold ahead of the in-house options: Mullens and Hall.
Drafting J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 means that Minnesota will be handing things over to the Wolverine at some point in the future. If Darnold is a strong option, then the start date for McCarthy is likely to be in 2025. If, however, there’s some turbulence, then McCarthy could get the chance to get into some games in the upcoming season.
Sam Darnold, 27, is 6’3″, 225. He has completed 59.7% of his passes for his career while tossing 63 touchdowns alongside 56 interceptions. The Vikings will be looking for the completion percentage to soar into the 60s as the TD/INT ratio starts skewing heavily in favor of touchdowns rather than turnovers.
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 and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.