Vikings QB Called “Discount Darnold”
A year ago, many Vikings fans were hoping rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy could unseat veteran Sam Darnold in time for Week 1 because the thought of a starting Darnold was not very inspiring. When McCarthy got hurt, Darnold was the obvious, unquestioned starter and stunned Skol Nation throughout the year.
Vikings QB Called Discount Darnold
The former third overall pick delivered 35 touchdowns through the air and established himself as a starting quarterback, earning a contract from the Seahawks this offseason.
His old squad had to find another wingman for McCarthy, and they got him from Darnold’s new franchise. During the draft, the Vikings acquired quarterback Sam Howell in exchange for a draft pick swap.
Howell is not the flashiest backup in the league, but his presence earned the Vikings the 10th spot in CBS Sports’ ranking of backup QB situations ahead of teams with backups like Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton, and Jameis Winston.
Cody Benjamin called him Discount Darnold along the way: “Howell looked a bit lost in limited snaps with the Seattle Seahawks, but he profiles as a discount version of Sam Darnold in Minnesota, boosted by some of the game’s top coaches and skill weapons. A zealous arm with a full year of starting experience thanks to his time with the Washington Commanders, he’s both young enough to grow (24) and tested enough to give the Vikings a scrappy Plan B behind J.J. McCarthy, the young man now in charge.”
Howell’s stint with the Seahawks was, indeed, underwhelming. Geno Smith got banged up a couple of times, and his backup completed only 5 of 14 passes for 24 yards and an interception.
The Vikings bank on some untapped potential and the flashes he showed in Washington. After the 2020 season, Howell was viewed as a potential first-rounder, but he returned to North Carolina for another season and ended up getting drafted in the fifth round following a surprising draft day slide.
Washington redshirted him in 2022 except for one start in a meaningless game, but they promoted him to QB1 ahead of the 2023 campaign. He started the entire season and completed 63.4% of his passes for 3,946 yards and 21 passing touchdowns. Howell added another five rushing touchdowns. Strangely, Howell led the league in pass attempts due to the lack of rushing attack and the fact that Washington was trailing a lot, resulting in a league-lead 21 interceptions.
Kevin O’Connell said about his new project in May, “We still think that there’s a lot in Sam’s game to develop, but also see where he can take it within our system, within our quarterback development plan here in Minnesota. [We] feel really good about Josh McCown [coaching] that quarterbacks room, and all the talent, and the things we’ve acquired – whether [it’s] up front; the skill guys we do have that we feel so great about, and then just our system going into Year 4, the evolution of that becoming as quarterback friendly as we can make it, while also challenging defenses and trying to do the things that it takes to win football games.”
The head coach is widely regarded as a QB whisperer, and he will try to get the best out of the fourth-year player, just like he did with Darnold. A better comparison than Discount Darnold might actually be another departed passer: Nick Mullens. Howell is a little more mobile and his arm is slightly stronger, but both have a gunslinger mindset and like to take risks.
The new Vikings’ passer is still only 24 years old. He is highly unlikely to compete with McCarthy, but he’s the favorite to clinch the QB2 role over Brett Rypien and Max Brosmer.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.