Kevin O’Connell reveals QB1 for Vikings going into training camp

This past season, the Minnesota Vikings were looking to defend their NFC North title. They were coming off a strong 13-4 showing in 2022, but slumped a bit down the stretch. The team fell at home in the playoffs to the Giants.

Kevin O’Connell’s club stumbled out of the gates in 2023 via a 1-4 start. Just when they were regaining their stride, veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins went down with an Achilles injury in Week 8. O’Connell would go through three more starting signal-callers the remainder of the season and the results were a 7-10 record.

Half of those four players have moved on. Meanwhile, a veteran newcomer has emerged as a frontrunner for the top spot...at least for now.

Sam Darnold has taken the Vikings quarterback job by the horns

He was the third-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and is now with his fourth team in seven years. After a year in San Francisco, Sam Darnold is a member of the Minnesota Vikings. So far, he has impressed his head coach.

“We haven’t had to put out a depth chart or anything like that,” explained O’Connell (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert), “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 other newcomer is 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy of the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines. Cousins and Joshua Dobbs are now with the Falcons and 49ers, respectively. Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall remain on Minnesota’s roster.

Darnold’s career has been marked with inconsistent play, and his penchant for turnovers is well known. Is it just a matter of time this season before McCarthy takes over? For now, he is educating himself.

"I grew up watching Sam Darnold my entire life,” said the young quarterback. “Being able to just sit there and watch him, watch Nick, watch Jaren…it’s not what they say to me, it’s what they do. And just being a sponge and observing them and, eventually, hopefully, one day surpassing them. But right now, they’re just phenomenal human beings who are sharing their wisdom with me, and I just can’t thank them enough and can’t wait for training camp.”

McCarthy's education will continue during training camp.