By the end of last season, the Minnesota Vikings had three quarterbacks on their roster: Sam Darnold, who started every game during a 14-3 regular season, Daniel Jones, whom the team signed last November after he was released by the New York Giants, and rookie J.J. McCarthy, who missed the entire year after tearing his meniscus.
After Darnold lost his last two starts — a regular-season game that decided who won the NFC North, and a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams — the Vikings determined he wasn’t the long-term answer at the position. Minnesota also didn’t see enough from Jones in practice to retain him.
Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason, while Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Minnesota, meanwhile, handed the keys of the franchise to McCarthy, who in his last collegiate game completed only 10 of 18 passes for 140 yards.
In Week 1, the Vikings looked like geniuses after McCarthy led a come-from-behind victory against the Chicago Bears.
Entering Week 12, Minnesota may be second-guessing its decision, as Darnold and Jones have their respective teams near the top of the standings while the Vikings are floundering — with McCarthy a significant part of the problem.
“Coming in here, I was taught how to play quarterback in a very different way,” McCarthy told reporters this week about his transition to being an NFL starter. “And that’s expected going into the league, going into any new team, any new system.”
He added that injuries — McCarthy also missed time this season with a high ankle sprain — have robbed him of valuable practice time. As a result, Minnesota’s starter is learning on the fly.
“It’s really hard,” McCarthy said. “You’re rewiring neurological pathways, and that’s not something that happens overnight. Just understanding and giving myself that grace, that patience, that I might not have it today, but it’s something that I’m gonna continue to strive after, day after day, rep after rep, and get to the place where we all want me to be.”
A learning curve for a young quarterback is nothing new, but the Vikings’ struggles are tougher to swallow after the team was tied for the second-most wins in the NFL in 2024. Minnesota is currently 4-6 and on the outside of the playoffs in the NFC. McCarthy is 2-3 as a starter.
What stings even worse for the Vikings is how well Darnold and Jones have played for their new teams. The Seahawks are 7-3, tied for the second-best record in the NFC, while the Colts are 8-2, a half game out of first place in the AFC.
Compared to Darnold and Jones, McCarthy has thrown far fewer touchdowns, has been more turnover-prone, and has a much worse passer rating.
Minnesota, of course, was likely thinking long term by opting for McCarthy. And Darnold and Jones will still have to prove themselves in the postseason, while their teams will also have to decide how much money to commit to them in the near future. (McCarthy will be relatively more cost-controlled for three more seasons on his rookie contract.)
For now, though, the Vikings have a built-to-win team with a star receiver in Justin Jefferson, a competitive defense coached by Brian Flores, but an offense averaging fewer points (21.8 compared to 25.4) and throwing for fewer yards (193.0 compared to 237.8) than it did a year ago.
