Sam Darnold's likely departure opens up the starting quarterback job for the Vikings in 2025. The franchise is not prepared to hand it to former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy without a competition though. Former Giants' starter Daniel Jones is lurking behind him on the depth chart but could beat McCarthy out in the preseason.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that McCarthy has already "proven to the staff" that he's their franchise quarterback. With that being said, they don't want to stunt his long-term growth by installing him as their starter before he's ready. That's why Jones could be the guy who lines up under center for Minnesota when Week 1 arrives.
The great irony is that Jones has the natural ability to put the Vikings back into the same situation they face with Darnold this offseason. It's not impossible to envision a scenario where he begins the year as the starter and plays too well for McCarthy to overtake him. Some Giants fans might scoff at that idea, but Minnesota gave Darnold a chance to revive his career. The same could happen for Jones within the comfortable confines of the Vikings offensive system.
Will the Minnesota Vikings start Daniel Jones over JJ McCarthy?
The best-case scenario for Minnesota would be to see McCarthy play well enough in the preseason to establish himself as the team's unquestioned starter heading into the regular season. It may take him some time to settle into the challenge of NFL football after missing all of his rookie campaign due to injury. The Vikings cannot afford to wait for him to get up and running if they want to challenge the Lions and Packers for supremacy in the NFC North.
At the very least, Jones can provide them with a safety blanket in the event that McCarthy falters. He showed flashes of brilliance with the Giants before things came off the rails. It's reasonable to say his performance before coming to Minnesota was better than anything Darnold had done prior to his arrival.
The battle between McCarthy and Jones will be one to watch during the preseason. The Vikings are doing the right thing by not gifting their young signal-caller the job. If he can't beat out Jones it's right ot keep him on the bench until he can.