The Minnesota Vikings made a trade in the 2024 NFL draft. They selected national championship-winning quarterback JJ McCarthy with the 10th pick heading into this season. The sky is the limit for the 21-year-old, but head coach Kevin O’Connell has made it clear that former USC Trojan Sam Darnold will be the starter heading into the preseason.
Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million deal with Minnesota following a one-year stint as a backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
“We haven’t had to put out a depth chart or anything like that,” O’Connell said according to ESPN, “but yeah, I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon the spring he’s had, and really where he’s at in his career and his quarterback journey, and what he’s been able to do coming in and [hitting] the ground running and taking advantage of a competitive situation.”
The idea, going intro training camp with two strong arms, was to create a “competitive situation,” O’Connell told reporters Wednesday.
Darnold and McCarthy will replace longtime Vikings starter Kirk Cousins, who is now an Atlanta Falcon. Three other players started at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings last season after Cousins got hurt.
McCarthy has been throwing behind Darnold and veteran backup Nick Mullens. Jaren Hall, a 2023 fifth-round pick out of BYU, is also in the mix.
The Vikings’ season opener against the Giants on Sept. 8.
According to @JFowlerESPN, the #Vikings believe QB Sam Darnold has “untapped potential” and they hope he “plays the entire season” as the starting QB 👀
🎥: @espn pic.twitter.com/V5XMVSqorG
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) June 15, 2024
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