The Minnesota Vikings are keeping an eye on J.J. McCarthy’s rehab as he recovers from a torn meniscus that ended his rookie season before it ever began. How he continues to progress will determine how the Vikings answer the most pertinent question about the most important position. 

Sam Darnold threw every football fan for a loop when he led the Vikings to a 14-3 record this past season. While a microscope is put on Darnold’s last two performances, the fact of the matter is he played phenomenally before then. 

The way his season ended isn’t going to determine how much he gets paid. But it could determine if the Vikings have more leverage to negotiate with him rather than throwing a bag at him after he faltered in the most critical point in the season. 

Before they make that decision though, they’ll keep McCarthy in the forefront. He’s the player they were always going to build around and trust with the future of the organization. While he was noticeably slimmer, which is typical for players due to a lack of strength conditioning during recovery, Kevin O’Connell is optimistic about McCarthy for 2025. 

Kevin O’Connell makes Sam Darnold’s return to Vikings seem even less likely
The Vikings don’t have to make a decision on Darnold before March 4, technically, which is the NFL’s franchise tag deadline. If they decide not to franchise tag him, he’ll be free to negotiate his contract on March 10. 

Minnesota has a few options. They could give Darnold the franchise tag and possibly trade him if McCarthy is trending toward being ready for Week 1. They could tag him and keep him on another one-year deal as well if they were having doubts about letting him walk scot-free. 

That said, Darnold had way too good of a season to play on a franchise tag. The way the season ended, there’s concern he may be overhyped. So playing on a short-term deal and flopping in 2025 would practically end his career. 

So that’s not likely. The franchise tag may be an option, but with Darnold’s price tag in the $25 to $30 million per year range, he’ll test his value in the open market. 

Which leaves the Vikings to rely on McCarthy or potentially bring back Daniel Jones as an insurance policy. Either way, the Vikings made it clear, this is McCarthy’s team. As long as he’s healthy, they’re going to rock with him. 

O’Connell is optimistic about McCarthy’s return, meaning Darnold’s time in Minnesota is probably short-lived. It also means the Vikings aren’t going to rush to make a decision.