Football
 walks off the field after the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/samdmon.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=674,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/samdmon.jpg”><figcaption> Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><p>If you happen to be in the “Start J.J. McCarthy in 2025” camp of Minnesota Vikings football, get ready to hold the minority opinion.</p><h4>The Vikings QB Debate … Has Flipped</h4><p>The purple team <a href=)
has a 14-2 record entering the regular season’s final week, and Darnold’s 36 touchdowns have propelled Minnesota to the brink of homefield advantage throughout the postseason. If the Vikings win next Sunday night at the Detroit Lions, they’ll own the No. 1 seed for the first time since 1998. participates in pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images.</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/samatsea.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=639,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/samatsea.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/samatsea.jpg” alt><figcaption> Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images.<span></span></figcaption></figure></div><p>And as recently as a month or so ago, keeping Sam Darnold in 2025 and beyond was the <em>fringe</em> opinion. Last April, Minnesota drafted J.J. McCarthy to eventually take the reins of QB1, but a torn meniscus canceled that plan, at least in 2024. So, Darnold took over, and most expected him to play decently. He responded by performing otherworldly, at least by Vikings’ standards.</p><p>So, with the NFL playoffs 12 days away, the NFL masses, plus a healthy faction of Vikings fans, have decided that keeping Darnold indefinitely — no matter the cost — is the wisest route.</p><p><em>The Draft </em><span><em>Network</em>‘s</span> Justin Melo was the latest to endorse Darnold for the 2025 Vikings. He <a href=)
wrote Monday, “McCarthy should continue to sit and learn while the Vikings attempt to maximize a Super Bowl window Darnold has cracked open for them. There’s nothing wrong with McCarthy biding his time.” warms up during practice at Vikings training camp in Eagan, MN. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/jjmcamph.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=720,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/jjmcamph.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/jjmcamph-788×481.jpg” alt=”QB debate” ><figcaption> Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.<span></span></figcaption></figure></div><p>“Some of today’s best NFL quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love included, sat and waited for their opportunity. Rookie quarterbacks rarely hit the ground running nowadays. We’ve seen high picks like Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson take their bumps and bruises when placed under pressure immediately. Sitting can be extremely beneficial.”</p><p>Retaining Darnold in the Twin Cities would be great — if Minnesota’s front office can find $40 million. That money, in theory, was on tap to be spent on free agents in March, not an expensive quarterback. In fact, purple fans just spent six seasons debating about a spendy quarterback in Kirk Cousins, and it now seems they’re content with doing it all over again.</p><div><figure><img loading=)
Melo isn’t alone, either.
Former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman spread the keep-Darnold opinion two weeks ago. “If I was Minnesota, why wouldn’t you keep Sam Darnold? Why not do a potential bridge deal like a Baker Mayfield? Three years, $100 million deal?” Spielman said on the With the First Pick podcast.
Spielman mentioned about McCarthy, who tore his meniscus in August, canceling his entire rookie season: “He’s a rookie. He’s going to start over from scratch. He didn’t do anything this year. He’s not practicing. He’s sitting in meetings. He’s rehabbing. He hasn’t done one thing since that surgery except rehab throw the ball on the side, maybe. But he’s not practicing, so you’re starting from square one with him.”
This debate will turn white-hot the moment Minnesota’s season ends.
Spielman concluded, “Look at what Green Bay did with Jordan Love. Look at what Green Bay did with Brett Favre. If you count next year, his rookie year, Patrick Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith. So if I sit him for two years, why not?”
 under center against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.</p><p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/factoidmccarthy.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=618,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/factoidmccarthy.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/factoidmccarthy.jpg” alt><figcaption> Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.<span></span></figcaption></figure></div><p>Of course, few will care about the quarterback decision if the Vikings win the Super Bowl. Fans will enjoy a honeymoon period that could last months, if not years.</p><p>Otherwise, Minnesota will have a grand choice between Darnold and McCarthy, and as of Week 18 of the regular season, the tide has turned in favor of Darnold.</p><hr><div><p><a aria-label=)
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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