NFL executives address Vikings picking J.J. McCarthy over Sam Darnold

The Minnesota Vikings letting quarterback Sam Darnold reach free agency so that they could turn to 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy could go down as one of the most controversial decisions of this past NFL offseason. 

For a piece published Thursday, Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke with multiple evaluators about whether or not the Vikings made a mistake by moving on from Darnold after he guided the club to a 14-3 record last season. 

Vikings made "absolutely crazy" J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold call

"I thought it was absolutely crazy what they did," one executive said about the Vikings' call. "And I thought it was crazy when they did it. To take a quarterback (Darnold) who won that many games and to go to J.J. McCarthy, who you don't know can play, I just don't get it." 

While McCarthy spent his entire rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair, Darnold enjoyed a career rebirth playing under Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. Pro Football Reference stats show Darnold ended the 2024 regular season ranked fifth in the NFL with 4,319 passing yards, fifth with 35 passing touchdowns and sixth among qualified quarterbacks with a 102.5 passer rating. That said, his poor showings over his final two Minnesota outings seemingly made it easy for the club to let him walk this past March. 

The Seattle Seahawks ultimately signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5M deal, and he won three of his first four starts with Seattle in September. Meanwhile, some think Carson Wentz could remain Minnesota's starter through the fall after McCarthy is cleared to return from a high right ankle sprain. 

"They were just kind of stuck," a different executive said about the Vikings wanting to see what McCarthy would and/or wouldn't be as a second-year pro. "I think they certainly could have made a better choice. I just don't know who it was. I'm fairly certain it wasn't Sam Howell."

The Vikings acquired Howell in April but then shipped him to the Philadelphia Eagles in August. 

How Sam Darnold has improved since start of 2024 season

One "veteran coach" who reviewed Darnold's play last season told Sando he "thought there was a big gap between Darnold's impressive 2024 stats and how well he was actually playing for Minnesota."

"He used to be jittery in there," that same coach said about what Darnold has thus far offered the Seahawks. "Now, he stands in there and looks down the barrel. A couple times, he jumped and threw like (Aaron Rodgers) does. He dropped to three-quarters (delivery). ...The deep ball has been accurate, making sure they can catch the ball and assuring the yardage. He's throwing it correctly into the short zones to keep his guys alive, which is interesting. He is leading receivers away from the hook defender, making the guy slide on the digs. He's way better."

If Darnold continues to look like a better product with the Seahawks, O'Connell and Co. may live to regret the choice they made earlier this year.