Vikings sound ready to replace Sam Darnold with J.J. McCarthy

It was suggested that the Minnesota Vikings could place the franchise tag on quarterback Sam Darnold in part because of concerns related to where 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy was in his recovery from the full meniscus repair he needed this past summer. 

According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, head coach Kevin O'Connell and others within the Vikings would feel just fine heading into springtime workouts with McCarthy as their QB1. 

"...One team source even noted that McCarthy’s weight, which had dropped during his recovery from meniscus surgery, has climbed back above 200 pounds. The Vikings included McCarthy in Saturday game plan meetings throughout the season and would have no hesitation with starting him in 2025," Lewis explained. 

Unless Darnold signs a new deal with the Vikings or has his rights for 2025 retained via the tag, he will be eligible to begin speaking with other clubs when the free-agent negotiating window opens on March 10. Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah indicated while speaking with reporters at the NFL combine on Tuesday he hasn't yet ruled out tagging Darnold, but numerous insiders have said throughout the winter that they expect the 27-year-old will be able to test the open market. 

"This week in Indianapolis will provide the Vikings their first gauge of his market," Lewis wrote about Darnold. "Presuming another team is willing to meet him at a value close to Baker Mayfield’s in Tampa Bay (around $33 million a season), the Vikings will either tag him for draft compensation or allow him to leave." 

The franchise tag deadline is 4 p.m. ET on March 4. 

Specifically, the Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a three-year contract in March 2024 that essentially made him their starter through at least the 2025 season. It seems unlikely Minnesota would make a similar commitment to Darnold considering the club's feelings about McCarthy. 

For a piece published Wednesday, ESPN's Seth Walder predicted that the Pittsburgh Steelers will become the most desirable landing spot for Darnold "because they have the most to offer -- a potentially very good defense, winning history under Mike Tomlin and the lack of a top pick (making them less likely to take a first-round rookie)." 

Per Rob Kleifield of the Vikings' website, Adofo-Mensah said on Tuesday that McCarthy has "been everything we want him to be" and that Minnesota is "excited about his future." It sounds like that future won't involve McCarthy sharing a quarterback room with Darnold for a second season.