The Minnesota Vikings may have a high-end QB on their hands with Sam Darnold, and doing anything other than keeping him would be a huge mistake. Folks, let's not overthink this here. I understand that some may be a bit hesitant to want Sam Darnold to stay with the Vikings, but this is an easy decision.
The Vikings are in an interesting situation. They took JJ McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and McCarthy could have gotten the QB1 job, but a torn meniscus ended his year. That threw Darnold into the lineup this year, and all he's done is throw 32 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions. But wait, there is a lot more.
The decision is easy here...
He's got 13 games of a triple-digit passer rating this year, and eight games with a passer rating of at least 110. He's completed 67.2% of his passes and is on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards this year. Furthermore, the Vikings are now 13-2 on the season and have the 9th-ranked scoring offense in the NFL, putting up over 26 points per game.
If the Vikings had just signed Darnold and not taken McCarthy in the NFL Draft, I bet they would have extended him already, but the rookie QB does complicate things. If you ask me, I am not sure the Vikings thought Darnold would play as well as he had, and it's not like he's been above-average, but he's been truly elite this year.
There would be not a single reason out there to let him hit the free agency market. If so, the Vikings could make the mistake of the century. I understand that drafting a rookie QB contains a lot of unknown, but can the Vikings really afford to rely on developing that unknown with how well Sam Darnold has played?
They have no choice - Sam Darnold has earned a multi-year extension with the team, and with them also having Daniel Jones, I am not sure if it's even worth it for them to keep JJ McCarthy. Heck, they should see what kind of return they could get from McCarthy. And it's not that the rookie QB did anything wrong; the injury stinks, and he could not prevent Sam Darnold from lighting it up this year.
It would be weird for the Vikings to go backwards and let Sam Darnold leave. It would be a horrifically bad decision. And mind you, he is doing this in year one of his tenure here. I can only imagine the leap he could take in 2025 with another year under his belt. Now yes, having players like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison do help, but let's not overthink this.
The Vikings have to keep Darnold on a long-term deal. They have to ensure he is their starting QB in 2025, period.