The Minnesota Vikings are relying on Sam Darnold after J.J. McCarthy's season-ending injury.
WR Justin Jefferson expressed faith in his starting quarterback, though he may simply be trying to avoid sowing discord in the locker room. Darnold has struggled badly throughout his career, and it appears to be a fool's errand to hope he will turn his fortunes around in Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings ' plan at quarterback this season was always to use a bridge starter and progress with J.
J. McCarthy as their QB of the future. As they say, though, even the best laid plans go to waste.
McCarthy went down for the season with a meniscus tear , forcing that "bridge" quarterback into full-time starting duties this season. The team signed Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal in free agency, and the plan has been for him to be the Week 1 starter since that move became official. Now, though, the veteran journeyman is going to be handed the reins without any safety net (or competition, depending on your point of view) behind him on the depth chart.
For what it's worth, superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson expressed his confidence in Darnold , claiming that their rapport will only grow as they work together more: "A lot of people don’t understand that there’s a lot of things that go into a quarterback and a receiver’s connection than just sitting back there and just throwing the ball to a spot. ..
. I definitely feel confident going into Week One with Sam as our quarterback. I feel like he’s been making plays throughout training camp.
I don’t have any worry in my mind at all.” While McCarthy was never going to be an upgrade over the departed Kirk Cousins , especially in his rookie season, the injury still stings, as Darnold has struggled mightily in his previous stops as a starter. While the Vikings are likely out of Super Bowl contention now, Darnold still has a chance to resurrect his career in Minnesota.
With the exciting rookie on the shelf for the remainder of the 2024 campaign, Minnesota will have all their eggs in the Sam Darnold basket. Darnold's Production Has Never Matched His Talent While Jefferson's quotes are fair-weathered in nature and meant to keep the peace in the locker room, it's all just public posturing. Darnold has been bad from the moment he stepped foot into the NFL, getting himself shipped out of New York before only lasting two seasons with the Carolina Panthers .
He took a one-year detour with the San Francisco 49ers to learn under head coach Kyle Shanahan , though that only amounted to clipboard duty while watching Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy lead the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance. Sam Darnold, Career Stats Stat Darnold Seasons 6 Games 56 Record 21-35 Yards 12064 TDs 63 INTs 56 Completion % 59.
7% Passer Rating 78.3 While he's never had great offensive support - Jefferson will be, by far, the most talented player he's ever thrown to - Darnold has never been one to elevate the quality of the offensive system around him. His initial, three-season stretch with the New York Jets still stands as one of the worst performances of any signal caller in the modern, pass-happy NFL.
GIVEMESPORT Key Stat: Among all 20 qualified quarterbacks from 2018-2020, Darnold ranked dead last in yards per game (213.1), completion rate (59.8%), passing touchdowns (45), interception rate (3.
2%), yards per pass attempt (6.6), and passer rating (78.6).
He's routinely been plagued by momentum-killing mistakes and inaccurate passing, and even his most prolific spans of play have never coincided with a winning team. He's simply not going to pilot the Vikings to a deep postseason run, no matter what his pedigree as a one-time third overall pick promises. As for Jefferson, after extensive negotiations, the Vikings and him finally agreed to a long-term contract, a whopping four-year, $140 million extension , with $110 million guaranteed.
By most financial measures, it is the largest contract for a non-quarterback in NFL history. A first-round pick in 2020, Jefferson has become the undisputed best receiver in football since entering the NFL. In his four-year career, he's earned three Pro Bowl nods, three All-Pro honors, and the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year award.
He's earned every penny on his contract. Justin Jefferson, Career Stats Stat Jefferson Seasons 4 Games 60 Receptions 392 Yards 5899 TDs 30 Target Rating 109.9 1st Downs 264 However, after having the luxury of working with Cousins over his first four seasons, he'll now have to adjust to life without a Pro Bowl signal caller throwing him the pigskin.
While Jefferson can cover for a lot of mistakes that Darnold makes, he couldn't even win a playoff game when Cousins was in town. Any Vikings fan hoping that he can reverse that trend with Darnold under center is living a pipe dream. Source: CBS Sports All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.
All salary cap info via Spotrac . J.J.
McCarthy's injury setback doesn't significantly impact the Vikings' 2024 plans..
