After a forgettable 2023 NFL season marred by injuries to some of the team’s best offensive players, the Minnesota Vikings headed into the NFL offseason with high hopes of establishing a promising future.
One way to do this was to try to bring in the right man for the job under center.
With the team letting veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins go in NFL free agency, where he ultimately signed with the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings were forced to address the quarterback position and had a first-round draft pick high enough to potentially land a franchise player.
Ultimately, the Vikings became one of six teams that chose to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Minnesota got their hands on rookie J.J. McCarthy out of the University of Michigan, a team coming off a National Championship.
Since McCarthy is likely a project and needs time to develop into a great NFL quarterback, Minnesota signed veteran journeyman Sam Darnold to potentially be the starter right out of the gate, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic via The Purple Persuasion.
Per @Alec_Lewis, #Vikings QB Sam Darnold has “looked sharp and “might have thrown only 1 INT in mandatory minicamp” which might have been a byproduct of a poor route by his receiver
: John Autey pic.twitter.com/tf6DkfnSL5
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) June 18, 2024
The smart move heading into the 2024 campaign would be for the Vikings to start Darnold while giving McCarthy time to develop and prove his worth to the franchise.
Although Darnold failed to succeed with the teams he’s played for in the NFL since being drafted out of the University of Southern California, a fresh start on a team with weapons might be a good place to resurrect his career.
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