Though the Minnesota Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy to be their quarterback of the future, it appears that Sam Darnold is their QB of the present — at least for now.
While Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell knows there’s excitement around McCarthy and his potential, he told reporters on Wednesday that when Minnesota begins its training camp next month, Darnold will be the team’s QB1.
“I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based on the spring he’s had and, really, where he’s at in his career and his quarterback journey and what he’s been able to do coming in and really hit the ground running and really kind of taking advantage of a competitive situation,” O’Connell said in a news conference posted to the team website.
The decision to go with Darnold shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
The six-year veteran has looked much more composed during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, and his 56 games of starting NFL experience surely tipped the scale in his favor.
Though his tenure with the New York Jets was underwhelming (he was 13-25 as the starter and threw for 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions), Darnold could still have a higher NFL ceiling than what he’s shown.
In his career, Darnold has thrown for 12,064 yards, 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions with a 59.7 completion percentage and 78.3 passer rating.