The Minnesota Vikings are entering the 2024 NFL Season with two new quarterbacks on their roster.
After losing Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, the Vikings have an opportunity to have a fresh start.
They signed Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract in the offseason, and later took J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the draft.
While conventional wisdom might indicate that McCarthy will be the team’s No. 1 option due to his draft capital, head coach Kevin O’Connell’s recent comments could indicate otherwise.
O’Connell recently appeared on the Up & Adams Show, where he talked about the upcoming year, where he gave significant praise to Darnold.
“The physical talent jumps out to me, he’s really really refined himself,” O’Connell said.
“The PHYSICAL talent jumps out to me…he’s really really refined himself.” #Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell has been impressed by QB Sam Darnold so far @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/S8qfxiIWbW
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 15, 2024
O’Connell seems to really like what Darnold has done to this point, indicating that he has already made significant strides.
If he keeps this up, the Vikings could elect to start him for the first few games of the season, especially if McCarthy doesn’t seem ready at that point.
There is a growing trend in the NFL for teams to sit their rookie quarterbacks for a time, giving them more chances to feel out the league.
This worked especially well for the Green Bay Packers with Jordan Love, and for the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes.
It will be interesting to see what method the Vikings will adopt, and if this team can make it back to the playoffs with all of their new changes in mind.
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