Insider expands on potential Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy plan for Vikings

While the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings are trying to remain focused on the club's pursuit of a Super Bowl berth, discussions about the futures of quarterbacks Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy routinely generated headlines this week. 

At least one NFL executive said he thinks the Vikings should retain Darnold's rights for 2025 via the franchise tag as McCarthy continues his recovery from the complete meniscus repair that cost him his entire rookie season. For a piece published Thursday, The Athletic's Alec Lewis explained why such a plan could work even if some within the Vikings would want to start a healthy McCarthy next September. 

"Allocating around $41M for Darnold would limit the resources that could be spent elsewhere to improve the roster," Lewis shared. "But it should be noted the Vikings are projected to have upward of $76M in cap space for 2025, according to Over The Cap. Bringing Darnold back for another season would shrink the window of benefiting from McCarthy’s rookie contract, but he would still be only 23 by the time Darnold completed his season on the tag." 

No reasonable person would argue that Darnold was the league's best quarterback as he guided Minnesota to 11 wins over 13 games. However, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the 27-year-old on Thursday second among the betting favorites at +1200 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award for the campaign. It's essentially a guarantee that multiple quarterback-needy teams would outbid Minnesota for Darnold's services if he was allowed to reach free agency. Using the franchise tag would eliminate that problem for the Vikings and also keep their options open regarding McCarthy’s status for next year. 

"The Vikings could tag Darnold, then continue to assess McCarthy’s progress," Lewis continued. "If [head coach Kevin O’Connell] deems the youngster ready for the top job, they could then trade Darnold and recoup immediate draft capital. ...It’s conceivable they’d receive something better than a third-round compensatory pick in return. And Darnold, meanwhile, would have the chance to secure a longer-term contract elsewhere." 

Of course, Darnold could turn back into a figurative pumpkin before Minnesota plays its final game of the 2024 season, whenever that may be. After all, there are numerous reasons why he's on the fourth team of his career.

With that said, Darnold has impressed in a contract year, tossing 28 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. Putting him in a similar position for 2025 could benefit the Vikings on a short-term basis and allow McCarthy to develop as a backup for another year. 

As of Thursday, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Vikings as 6.5-point favorites for the upcoming "Monday Night Football" home game against the 4-9 Chicago Bears.