Insiders have been leaning towards a return for Darnold after a weaker-than-expected market Could that be a problem for J.J. McCarthy, who the Vikings selected with the No. 10 overall pick last year?
Is J.J. McCarthy going to ask for a trade out of Minnesota before he even takes a meaningful snap in purple? While highly unlikely, that’s exactly what Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio seems to think could happen if the team brings back Sam Darnold on a multi-year deal.
After the Vikings chose not to franchise-tag Darnold, the immediate speculation shifted to which QB-needy team would sign him to a major deal this offseason. However, insiders like ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport have suggested that a reunion in Minnesota remains a strong possibility—despite the lack of a franchise tag.
Now, enter Florio’s, dare we say, pretty reckless speculation about the Vikings’ quarterback situation.
“I thought maybe they would tag and trade him, tag him and keep him for a year. They might still keep him. A lot of it depends on—and this has parallels to Kirk Cousins last year—what else is out there for Sam Darnold? And is he willing to take that in lieu of whatever the Vikings’ best offer is?” Florio said in an interview on KFAN Wednesday morning. “Assuming they’re going to put an offer on the table—I have no reason to think they won’t—what is the magic number that makes sense for the Vikings to bring Darnold back? And what would the structure look like? Would it be a one-year deal? Two years or longer? And if it’s two years, that becomes a problem—at least from J.J. McCarthy’s perspective.”
“Because if they commit to Darnold for two years, I predict J.J. McCarthy is going to ask for a trade,” Florio continued. “And maybe that’s what the Vikings would want to do. You know, before things fell apart in Week 18 for Darnold—before the chariot turned back into a pumpkin—the thinking was, ‘Hey, wait a minute. We might have stumbled into plutonium by accident with Sam Darnold.’ So, if McCarthy is better than any quarterback in this year’s draft class, you could get a top-five pick for him, grab an elite player at another position of need, and call it a win-win. ‘Sorry, J.J., stuff happens, and you’re getting a fresh start somewhere else.’”
While some Vikings fans eager for the McCarthy era to begin may find this concerning, Florio’s comments lean more on speculation than actual reporting. According to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, McCarthy has been “doing really well” in his rehab from the torn meniscus that sidelined him for his entire rookie season. Reports from the combine also noted that McCarthy had regained weight, getting back above 200 pounds after losing some post-surgery.
Trading McCarthy would be a drastic move, especially considering that after just one preseason appearance, O’Connell dubbed him the “franchise quarterback.” But the elephant in the room remains: what happens with Darnold, who is coming off a career year, leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record? Could the Vikings bring him back to give McCarthy more time to recover? If so, that could create complications—at least according to Florio’s speculation.
“If they try to do an ‘Aaron Rodgers-Jordan Love sit-three-years’ type of handoff, I don’t think McCarthy will be on board with it,” Florio added. “That’s going to be a problem.”
Florio then took things a step further, suggesting that, based on sources he’s spoken to, there’s uncertainty about who is actually calling the shots in Minnesota.
“And through it all—I wrote this yesterday—and I have to be real with everybody, I have to be honest with the audience. I’m not thrilled about it, but people dealing with the Vikings have told me they don’t know who’s in charge. They don’t know who’s making the final decisions,” Florio said. “Now, maybe that’s deliberate. Maybe it’s part of the strategy. Maybe it’s a negotiation tactic… but there’s real confusion over who ultimately decides between Darnold and McCarthy. Who wants Darnold? Who wants McCarthy? Who is making these decisions? And that has created this sense of fluidity—you’ve seen reports that the situation is constantly shifting. One reason for that? No one seems to have a clear picture of who’s making the final call.”