Kevin O’Connell’s J.J. McCarthy comments give Vikings no reason to bring back Darnold

The Minnesota Vikings made it clear that Sam Darnold was just a one-year rental. Even with the way he played, they drafted J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 last draft for a reason. He was always their future plan. 

And Darnold’s dream 2024 season didn’t change that. In fact, the way his 2024 ended probably solidified the end of his tenure in Minnesota. And Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell made it clear, 2025’s outlook will feature a new quarterback. 

“I think he maximized what this year was for him,” O’Connell said during a press conference. “I think he’s got a level of comfort in our offensive system.”

He got to witness firsthand how McCarthy can fit in the system. O’Connell continued, saying McCarthy was able to see what Darnold did and learn from it. 

It was the perfect situation for the rookie. Sure he was injured, but that might have been the best thing for him as he didn’t have the pressure most young quarterbacks entering the league do.

Kevin O'Connell gives Vikings every reason to ditch Sam Darnold with J.J. McCarthy praise

The best thing that could have happened was McCarthy missed this past season due to injury. Darnold was brought on as a bridge quarterback to allow McCarthy time from being thrown onto the field in game one. 

When the Michigan product went down with a knee injury in the preseason, the Vikings had to pivot to Darnold for at least the season. And it worked out. He played himself into being a well-paid free agent. Meanwhile, McCarthy got the chance to learn from afar. 

In a way, it’s the same thing Daniel Jones benefitted from, joining the Vikings instead of darting to a team where he could have played right away. Rookie quarterbacks taken high in the draft have often been thrown to the wolves. McCarthy avoided that. Look what happened with Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young. Their respective teams were ready to give up on them. Young has since recaptured his status as the Carolina Panthers’ franchise piece. 

Richardson seems to still be on a trial period with the Indianapolis Colts as they still haven’t committed to Richardson long-term. Both quarterbacks struggled during their rookie seasons. Richardson, however, was unfairly judged on limited reps. He is probably the most inexperienced top-five quarterback selections ever. He’s also struggled with staying healthy in the NFL as well. 

McCarthy won’t have to worry about absurd expectations. That said, he will have a lot of pressure on him to succeed right away. The Vikings were a win away from being the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. 

They have no intentions of regressing with a new quarterback and they definitely don’t want to hear anything about making a mistake letting Darnold go. But if O’Connell’s message going into next season is any indication, they have all the confidence in McCarthy to pick up where Darnold left off.