Although the Minnesota Vikings picked up JJ McCarthy in the first round of the NFL Draft earlier this spring, it will be Sam Darnold leading the team into training camp next month.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said, after Darnold’s solid start with the team in OTAs, that Darnold will open a “competitive” training camp as the team’s starting quarterback. Outside of McCarthy, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are also on the roster.
“We haven’t had to put out a depth chart or anything like that, but yeah, I would say Sam would be the guy I would look at based on the spring he’s had and where he really is in his career and his quarterback -trip. and what he was able to do when he came in and [hitting] running the floor and taking advantage of a competitive situation,” O’Connell said Wednesday, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
After losing starter Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons earlier this season, the Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal. Darnold, who joined the New York Jets after they selected him No. 3 overall in 2018, spent last season as Brock Purdy’s backup in San Francisco.
The Vikings selected McCarthy with the No. 10 overall pick in the draft in April. McCarthy led Michigan to an undefeated record and a national championship last season while throwing for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns.
“I grew up watching Sam Darnold my whole life,” McCarthy said. “To be able to just sit there and look at him, look at Nick, look at Jaren… it’s not what they say to me, it’s what they do. And [I’m] just be a sponge and observe them and eventually, hopefully, one day surpass them. But right now, they’re just phenomenal people sharing their wisdom with me, and I just can’t thank them enough and can’t wait for training camp.”
While it’s still very early and McCarthy can absolutely thrust himself into the starting role, Darnold apparently has an early lead in Minneapolis. However, whether any of them can lead the Vikings to the playoffs for the second time in O’Connell’s three seasons with the team remains to be seen.
