The Minnesota Vikings are at a crossroads when it comes to their starting quarterback for the 2025 NFL season, and a new factor has emerged that could influence their decision between Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, or a third option.
Weighing The Vikings Starting Quarterback Decision
According to a recent report, the Vikings’ front office is considering J.J. McCarthy’s weight. No, this is not a Luka Dončić situation, where the Dallas Mavericks front office thought their star shooter was overweight and haphazardly traded him. In this case, McCarthy reportedly lost substantial weight during his recovery process from two knee surgeries.
From SI’s Albert Breer:
“The Sam Darnold situation still merits watching in Minnesota. And in a weird way, I could see J.J. McCarthy’s weight being a factor—he lost a bunch going through the knee surgeries of the past six months, and so returning to his fighting weight will play an element in the Minnesota Vikings’ confidence (and there is confidence there) that they can go forward with him.”
The average recovery time from the initial surgery to repair McCarthy’s torn meniscus is 3-6 months, which would have him return in November 2024 at the earliest and February 2025 at the latest. November rolled around and McCarthy experienced swelling, so he received a biological injection, which has a recovery time of only a few weeks.
Complicating the situation is impending free agent Sam Darnold. The 27-year-old journeyman had a breakout season in 2024, leading the team to a 14-3 record and earning a Pro Bowl nod. He placed 12th in PFSN’s 2024 QB Rankings, with Ben Rolfe noting:
“The one thing that does raise some alarm bells is that Darnold has had issues inside the opposing half on a handful of occasions. He finished the season ranked 30th with a -0.08 EPA/DB in those situations. However, he was generally fine in other clutch situations and converted 39.3% of third-down opportunities (15th).”
Darnold’s impressive performance, which included over 4,300 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, has boosted his market value for a contract to four years, $160 million. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin projects a three-year deal worth $114 million.
Minnesota has more than $59 million in space under the salary cap, good enough for seventh most in the league. Re-signing Darnold would soak up most of that space, limiting the team’s ability to sign multiple big names in free agency.
On the other hand, the 22-year-old McCarthy brings a tantalizing upside to the table. In his final season with the Michigan Wolverines, McCarthy led the Big Ten in Passer Efficiency Rating (167.4) and Adjusted Passing Yards Per Attempt (9.8) en route to the 2023 national championship.
Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has remained tight-lipped about the team’s plans for the quarterback room. The situation promises to be one of the most closely watched quarterback competitions in the NFL this offseason.