Power ranking every NFL quarterback situation going into training camp

25. Minnesota Vikings
Projected Starter: Sam Darnold

The Minnesota Vikings seemingly took a step back when they let Kirk Cousins hit the market, but they also made the right decision. He made the bag despite his advanced age and coming off a torn Achilles. The Vikings had played out the Cousins era for as far as they could, and they have a superstar in Justin Jefferson who needs someone to grow with him and find a new ceiling.

Enter J.J. McCarthy. The reigning National Championship winner rocketed up draft boards seemingly out of nowhere, with teams buying the hype around Michigan’s finest. He didn’t end up avoiding the “surprise” draft pick tag. That comes with a lot of pressure. The Vikings did not have to trade up far to get him, once again taking away much of the Vikings’ cost to get him.

Meanwhile, the Vikings signed former top pick Sam Darnold as a stopgap until McCarthy’s ready. Darnold went to be the backup in San Francisco last season, and it seemed to be a really good reset for him. Even with that, most analysts don’t expect the Vikings to finish the season with Darnold as the starter. He’s truly here for now. However, he is just 27 years old. He should have plenty of good years left in him.

Jaren Hall is there as well, but his short sample size did not breed confidence. This is truly about how far Darnold can go and how fast McCarthy will take to get ready. With too few starts in college, there might be some growing pains in the kid’s rookie season.