Whenever a team signs a veteran quarterback while knowing they will draft one in the same year, it does so with a plan in mind. For the Minnesota Vikings, that plan is for both short-term and long-term success.
During free agency, the team signed veteran Sam Darnold away from the San Francisco 49ers. The former third overall pick is on his third team in three years and is looking for a more permanent home, and the Vikings’ coaching staff believes they can be that.
Not only do they think they are a good home for the former USC Trojan, but they believe they can extract something from him that none of previous three teams was able to.
Yes, the team selected J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall in this year’s NFL draft, but they don’t want to rush him. On “SportsCenter,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the team sees “untapped potential” in Darnold and hopes “he can play the entire season” in 2024.
The schedule is very tough for the Vikings in 2024 so letting the rookie quarterback wait is an ideal scenario. In the NFL, though, it’s seldom that plans go as they should, so while the team hopes for it, they need to and are expected to do their best to keep McCarthy ready.