Who Will Be the Vikings' Starting Quarterback?

With Kirk Cousins out of the picture for Minnesota, many have been skeptical about who the starting QB will be for the upcoming season. With Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy now in place to be the next long-term option after being taken in the first round of this year's draft, many expected him to be the Week One starter. That was until recently, when it was reported that the Vikings see potential in young NFL journeyman QB Sam Darnold. Darnold, the former number three overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to the New York Jets, struggled mightily in his first three seasons, posting a record of 13-25 during that time.

Coming out of USC, Darnold was thought to be the next great prospect entering the league. With sky-high expectations and the heavy scrutiny of New York media, Darnold crumbled with a terrible supporting cast. Many believe he was given a severely unfair shake, and in his defense, that is not far from the truth. The Jets never supported Darnold with elite talent on offense to help smooth the transition into the NFL. That, along with a subpar coaching staff, led to a complete debacle of a tenure that ended after only three seasons.

Darnold spent his next three seasons in Carolina and San Francisco with the 49ers. In 2021, he started 11 games, going 4-7 with 2,527 yards, nine touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. His time as a starter ended after that, and he resumed the backup role. He reprised that role again in San Francisco last year, appearing only once in a loss where he threw two touchdowns and one interception.

Another Chance?

Unfortunately for Darnold, I don’t think even a supporting cast that boasts Justin Jefferson could salvage his career as a starter at this point in time. If Minnesota seriously wants to get the most out of him, the best-case scenario I see is Darnold starting for a certain number of games until ultimately being replaced by JJ McCarthy. A scenario where Darnold plays the best football of his career isn’t completely out of the picture, but I’ve seen too much on tape to think it’s that simple. If Darnold starts as the top guy for Minnesota in Week One, I hope for Vikings fans' sake that the "ghosts" of before have finally been put to bed.