The Minnesota Vikings were willing to risk it all on JJ McCarthy. Five weeks into the 2025 NFL season, that risk may have already backfired. McCarthy could miss the next few weeks with an ankle injury. In his absence, Minnesota has turned to Carson Wentz, who they signed before the start of the regular season as a stable veteran presence behind their unknown second-year project. However, the Vikings best bet all along was neither of those two, but rather Sam Darnold, who has led the Seahawks to a 3-1 record and played some of the best football of his career.
When healthy – which wasn't for long – McCarthy was easily-rattled, and not particularly accurate. Granted, it's far too early to judge his performance. We'll have to wait until later in the season to see if he makes strides forward. But, compared to how Darnold performed last season in Minnesota and this year in Seattle, it's fair to say the Vikings downgraded at the most important position in football in the interim.
Wentz, who has stepped in for McCarthy due to injury, has shown flashes but proven once and for all that not just anyone can succeed in Kevin O'Connell's offense. In back-to-back games overseas, Wentz was turnover-prone against the Steelers and struggled to move the ball vs a superior defensive front in Cleveland. Wentz hasn't processed plays easily and, when forced to make quick decisions, has looked out of his depth.
Why the Vikings look silly for letting Sam Darnold walk
It's far too early to make a judgement call on the Vikings decision to let Darnold go, but the early returns are not good. Darnold is still young enough to be a top-10 quarterback in this league, especially if developed by the right offensive minds. O'Connell was obviously one of those, but the Vikings front office (and likely KOC) did not see Darnold's ascent coming. Hence, when forced to choose between the rookie they banked their reputations on and a proven veteran who had just led the team to 14 wins, they chose their own draft pick.
"I thought it was absolutely crazy what they did," an exec from another team told Mike Sando of The Athletic, "and I thought it was crazy when they did it. To take a quarterback (Darnold) who won that many games and to go to J.J. McCarthy, who you don't know can play, I just don't get it."
Through four weeks, Darnold was the second-ranked quarterback in the NFL in adjusted EPA + PFF grade. That could change as the schedule gets a big tougher for Seattle, but it's tough to ignore the results so far.
Adjusted EPA + PFF Grade blend through week 4
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) October 1, 2025
When it comes to dominant QBs, there's Dak Prescott, and then there's Sam Darnold pic.twitter.com/ayUzhWMiEm
Vikings don't deserve all the blame for letting Darnold go
Sure, it's easy to second-guess the Vikings now, but that was not the storyline this offseason. Revisionist history is a popular course here at FanSided. Given Minnesota had success with Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold and a litany of other quarterbacks when stepping in under center, why would O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah think anything different of their chances with McCarthy and Wentz? If anything, McCarthy's game should be even more tailored to this scheme, or else the Vikings wouldn't have selected him in the first place.
Darnold was also paid a boatload of money by the Seahawks to replace Geno Smith. Darnold was signed to a three-year contract worth over $100 million. That deal comes with over $55 million of guaranteed money. This isn't to suggest the Vikings couldn't have afforded such a deal – they definitely could have – but in doing so they wouldn't have been able to improve their defensive front, or a litany of other needs over the next few years. That's what happens when you have a high-priced quarterback, and as good as Darnold has played, he cannot win a Super Bowl by himself.
Yes, the 28-year-old Darnold was worth the money, but at the time there was little to differentiate himself from Cousins, McCarthy or even Wentz for that matter. Should he play this well all season long – and Minnesota struggle to replace him – it'll serve as an important lesson for Minnesota and O'Connell. Not every quarterback can thrive in this system, and it's about time they give the players who can a bit more credit.