On Friday, the Minnesota Vikings chose fire their general manager, Kwesi
Odofo-Mensanh. There is some speculation that the decision has to do with quarterback
JJ McCarthy and former quarterback Sam Darnold. The latter is headed to the Super
Bowl as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, and the former missed his entire rookie
season and played just 10 games this past year.
McCarthy went 6-4, but threw for over 200 yards just twice, and finished the season
completing just 57.6% of his passes (the lowest in the league for any quarterback who
started 9 or more games). He also tossed just 11 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. This
is a far cry from Darnold’s 67.7% completion, 238 yards per game, and 25 touchdowns
to 14 interceptions. Darnold also led the Seahawks to a 14-3 record and first round bye
in the NFC playoffs.
Last season, while McCarthy was recovering from a knee injury, Darnold led the Vikings
to a 14-3 record. He completed 66.2% of his passes in 2024, for 254 yards per game
and 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. The belief is not only that drafting McCarthy
10th overall in 2024, and choosing him over Darnold after the season was
Odofo-Mensah’s call.
Was JJ McCarthy A Mistake?
The selection McCarthy can’t really be knocked for two reasons. First of all, the Vikings
needed a quarterback. Kirk Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons and Darnold was
brought in to just be a stop gap. Nobody could have predicted the season he would
have, or better yet, the back-to-back seasons he’d have.
The second reason is that McCarthy had just led the Michigan Wolverines to an
undefeated season and a National Championship. He is responsible (not solely) for Jim
Harbaugh getting another NFL job. Not only did he go 15-0 in 2023, but McCarthy
completed 72.3% of his passes and had 22 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions. He
seemed like a safe pick and a smart pick, all things considered.
It wasn’t a mistake to bet on McCarthy over Darnold, either, despite the great season by
the former USC Trojan. After all, Darnold was exiled from the New York Jets and didn’t
exactly blow people away with the Carolina Panthers. By all accounts, the guy who was
the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft was truly a bust and destined to be a
journeyman stopgap quarterback or backup.
What The Vikings Can Learn From Sam Darnold
If there’s anything the Vikings can learn from Darnold, it’s not that they made a mistake
sticking with McCarthy; it’s that they need to avoid the same mistake made by the Jets.
The Jets didn’t use Darnold correctly, and almost ran his career into the ground. Now he
is a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl. McCarthy is 10 games into his career and
still just 23 years old.
The Vikings need to support McCarthy with a strong running game and defense, and
they should get results similar to what the San Francisco 49ers have so far from Brock
Purdy. An elite-level game manager who won’t lose games and can occasionally make
the big throw. If they have given up on him this quickly, he might be the next
quarterback that used to play for them, that they end up watching on another team in
the Super Bowl.
