Vikings and Sam Darnold both will be making big mistake if they don't part
There have been multiple reports that Sam Darnold could return to the Vikings, but staying together makes little sense for either side. Especially with J.J. McCarthy expected to be ready to go.
Are the Vikings having second thoughts about turning over their starting quarterback job to J.J. McCarthy? Has Sam Darnold suffered such a crisis of confidence that he’s content being a backup in Minnesota? Are quarterback-needy teams really not interested in Darnold at anything but a bargain-basement price?
If you believe the multiple reports that Darnold could be returning to the Vikings instead of signing elsewhere when free agency opens next week, then you can’t dismiss the above questions and the fact that either Darnold, the Vikings, or both are operating scared.
Let’s start with the Vikings.
The team made McCarthy the first quarterback in franchise history to be drafted in the Top 10 last year. This was coach Kevin O’Connell’s call, and McCarthy’s play in training camp and the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders was so impressive that it appeared the rookie would get increased work with the first team and challenge Darnold for the starting job.
But McCarthy injured the meniscus in his right knee against the Raiders and had to undergo season-ending surgery. He spent the year rehabbing and attending what amounted to O’Connell’s Quarterback University at TCO Performance Center.
McCarthy’s injury removed all question about whether Darnold would be the Vikings’ starter, and the third-overall pick in the 2018 draft made the most of his opportunity.
Darnold, who went 13-25 in 38 starts over three seasons with the New York Jets, helped lead the Vikings to a 14-3 finish. He posted career highs with 4,319 yards passing, 35 touchdowns and a 66.2 completion percentage. Darnold was in the MVP discussion for much of the season — he finished 10th in the voting — and was elected to the Pro Bowl.
Darnold, who had signed a one-year, $10 million free agent deal last March, was horrendous in the Vikings’ regular-season finale in Detroit and struggled in the first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Nonetheless, his season was a success and he enters free agency as the top quarterback on the market.
Logically, this is where the Vikings-Darnold relationship should end. So why all the talk about him re-signing? It would have to be on the Vikings’ terms and that doesn’t figure to approach the three-year, $100 million deal ($50 million guaranteed) that Baker Mayfield signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last March after resurrecting his career.
The Darnold-Mayfield comparison was made repeatedly last season but many predicted Darnold likely would get more. If Darnold returns to the Vikings, it’s unlikely to be for anything over $25 million and he isn’t getting three years. Let me amend that: He better not be getting more than $25 million and anything more than a one-year contract.
Even that makes little sense — for either side.