Don’t be alarmed, Vikings fans, but Pro Football Focus doesn’t have much faith in Minnesota’s quarterback situation—at least not now.
Trevor Sikkema ranked his top 32 starting quarterbacks entering the 2024 NFL season. You have to scroll way down the list to find the Vikings’ quarterback duo at No. 31. In fact, Sikkema has it labeled as ‘Tier 7: The Holdovers’. This is more about veteran Sam Darnold than rookie J.J. McCarthy, who isn’t expected to start immediately.
I don’t think McCarthy will be the starting quarterback right out of the gate, but a combination of Darnold and McCarthy for the 2024 season seems likely. Darnold has never finished a season with a passing grade above 67.0, but his past two were his highest. I am surprisingly excited to see Darnold get a shot as a starter this year, as he finished his final year in Carolina with a 6.7% big-time throw rate and a 2.9% turnover-worthy play rate in six games as a starter.
It’s a legitimate concern that Darnold won’t take the Vikings very far with how his career has turned out so far. But if he does indeed start for Minnesota, this will be the most weapons Darnold will ever have surrounding him on a football field. The Vikings have enough talent to make either of the quarterbacks successful in 2024.