The Minnesota Vikings became the league’s first 14-win wild-card team in 2024, mainly due to the strength of the NFC North and the emergence of Sam Darnold as a legitimate NFL quarterback.
Darnold starting the season became a certainty when 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy went down with a torn meniscus, but now that Darnold is in Seattle, the stage belongs to the younger QB, McCarthy.
Already, McCarthy has impressed head coach Kevin O’Connell and local media in offseason workouts. If McCarthy had stayed at Michigan for another season, many believe the former five-star prospect would have been the highest graded quarterback, even over top pick Cam Ward in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The blown knee sat him down, but McCarthy probably needed another season of learning before he was ready to play. Given that the 2025 Michigan Wolverines bore little resemblance to their national championship squad and head coach Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL, the best place for McCarthy to master the position was the pros.
O’Connell was once described as a taller version of Sean McVay, the forefather of the young offensive genius archetype. When Darnold, who had spent the previous season in a similar San Francisco 49ers system with Kyle Shanahan, signed with Minnesota, the value he added could not truly be projected.
Darnold’s original intent was to be a bridge piece, keeping the seat warm for McCarthy’s debut. O’Connell’s plan is taking shape with a 14-win year as the cherry on top.
Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Harbaugh emptied a propaganda tank when he alleged that McCarthy was the best quarterback in the draft, but he may have had a point.
The coach and former NFL quarterback himself witnessed each signal-caller up close and personal through the recruiting process. He even had second opportunities to glance at Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels in the transfer portal.
Maybe McCarthy will not be better than any of the players drafted ahead (or behind) him, but he has a ringing endorsement from one of football’s most respected coaches.
Some circumstances working in McCarthy’s favor may also be a slightly worse division in the NFC North. The Detroit Lions have lost both coordinators, and the Green Bay Packers have yet to establish a consistent offensive identity.
The Chicago Bears have the most potential with new head coach Ben Johnson, but even then, the cemented state of Minnesota’s franchise should put them ahead.
Before Darnold’s last season, no one would have given him a second thought as a starter. So with most of the same weapons and structure in place, McCarthy should explode with O’Connell calling plays and one of the league’s best receiving duos bookending the field in his redshirt rookie season.
