The 2024 season is far from over and the Vikings' season is going much better than expected. But the arrival of Daniel Jones, the injury of JJ McCarthy and the end of Sam Darnold's contract raise questions. Who will be Minnesota's No. 1 pitcher in 2025?
JJ McCarthy, most likely
Selected with the tenth pick in the 2024 draft, JJ McCarthy is seen in Minnesota as the future of the franchise. Competing with Sam Darnold during training camps, the rookie showed good things. According to rumors, he had even done enough to be a starter in September.
However, a knee injury, which occurred during the first preseason match, brought a premature end to his rookie year. Affected by the meniscus, McCarthy even needed a second operation recently, which raised doubts about his ability to quickly return to 100%.
Additionally, the former Wolverine has yet to show anything on the NFL fields. Are the Vikings ready to make him their starter in 2025, after their promising 2024 season? He has the advantage of being on his rookie contract, which allows Minnesota to build a solid team around him.
Sam Darnold and financial uncertainty
He only came to serve as a transition, until JJ McCarthy was ready. Sam Darnold did much more than that. Benefiting from the injury of his young teammate, the former Jets took advantage of this new opportunity that presented itself to him to show what he is capable of.
Very good since the start of the season, Darnold will have the advantage, in 2025, of knowing the O'Connell system well. He is also one of the leaders of this very good 2024 vintage and seems to be unanimous in the locker room.
The problem is that he only signed in 2024 for one season. Minnesota will therefore have to negotiate an extension with him in the spring. With its recent performance, Darnold could be tempted to take advantage of the market to drive up prices.
The general manager of the Violets, Kwesi Adofo Mensah, got rid of Kirk Cousins' heavy contract last year. This is not to put yourself back into a situation where the salary impact of the quarterback is too high to fill the other gaps. It therefore seems unlikely to see the Vikings participate in the bidding war.
Another risk, Minnesota already had a quarterback in 2017 capable of coming off a season that we didn't think he was capable of. Case Keenum took the Vikings to the conference finals, having the season of his career. A performance he has never been able to reproduce. Sam Darnold may be in overdrive this year and giving him a big, multi-year contract could weaken the franchise over a long period of time.
Daniel Jones at the relaunch
The New York adventure ended abruptly for Daniel Jones. The one who is only 27 years old arrives in Minnesota with the hope of relaunching his career. He will be helped in this by a coaching staff who has already proven himself with Sam Darnold this year.
From there to being the number 1 quarterback of the Violets in 2025? Several obstacles stand in his way. First of all, if Sam Darnold extends his Vikings experience, it is very unlikely that Jones will be retained. Then, the former Giant will have to hope that JJ McCarthy is not the young prodigy hoped for. If nothing is impossible in sport, the chances of seeing Daniel Jones start with Minnesota in 2025 seem very slim.
Aaron Rodgers following in Brett Favre's footsteps
What if Aaron Rodgers took the comparison with Brett Favre to the limit? Brought towards the exit in Green Bay by Rodgers, Favre initially continued his career in New York. But his experience with the Jets had proven to be complicated. It was ultimately in Minnesota that he experienced his last hours of glory. In 2009, he was stopped, in a very special way, in the conference final in New Orleans.
Rodgers, whose Jets experience was a fiasco, could well be tempted to relaunch elsewhere. The Vikings, with their solid offensive line and many quality targets, are a dream base for someone who has only won one Super Bowl, despite a successful individual career.
While this scenario is fun, it is unlikely to happen. What he is currently showing in New York should not make the Vikings want to give him the keys to their attack. Additionally, Rodgers will be 41 next year and his health is questionable.
