Now Is Not the Time To Worry About Vikings’ QB Depth Chart
Credit: Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Minnesota Vikings selected JJ McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in April’s draft to replace Kirk Cousins, but that replacement might not happen this season. Rumors have been swirling that McCarthy could actually be third on the depth chart in 2024 behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens. Some have started to panic at the news, but it’s time to take a deep breath, Vikings fans. It’s all part of the plan, even if he’s stashed deep on the depth chart.
Before Minnesota knew which quarterback they would take in the 2024 Draft, the Vikings signed former third-overall pick Sam Darnold to a one-year deal. Darnold was always going to be a bridge quarterback between Cousins and whoever the team drafted.
With Cousins being the starting quarterback for the Vikings, there were some major expectations, and although they never reached the ultimate goal, the team was always in a win-now mode. Now, with the Vikings going through a bit of a rebuild, even if they want to call it a “competitive rebuild,” there needs to be some honesty about this upcoming season. Winning football games is always the goal, but for the Vikings, how many wins they have in 2024 doesn’t really matter in the long-term.
There is always a chance the Vikings could shock everyone and make a run to the NFC Championship Game this upcoming season, but every win is an added bonus. The Vikings have the luxury of having some of their key components locked up long-term, meaning they can take it slow while McCarthy develops properly.
Justin Jefferson signed to stay in Purple and Gold through at least the 2028 season, the same year that McCarthy’s rookie contract will expire. The best way to ensure winning football happens in Minnesota during the back end of those contracts is to make sure McCarthy is put in the best position to succeed.
Adjusting to the NFL can be tough for even the best quarterbacks, so sitting behind a veteran like Darnold for a year (or even two!) might make the most sense. Look at players like Trevor Lawrence, who most believed would be a bona fide superstar, and they had some growing pains while adjusting to life at the next level. In a recent interview, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell took the pressure off McCarthy making an impact this season, confirming that Darnold is currently the front-runner for the starting job.
“We haven’t had to put out a depth chart or anything like that, but yeah, I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon 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 [hitting] the ground running and taking advantage of a competitive situation.”
According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, Darnold has taken most of the first team reps during practices open to the media. Veteran Nick Mullens has taken most of the second-team reps, followed by McCarthy and Jaren Hall.
It would make sense that if Mullens is going to make the team, he would also be ahead of McCarthy on the depth chart. If he’s not starting, it isn’t a big deal whether McCarthy is technically the second or third-string quarterback. Besides, if Darnold starts the season under center and ends up being injured for an extended period, there is no guarantee that Mullens will hold onto the starter role, even if he is number two on the depth chart now. Depending on where the coaching staff feels McCarthy is with his development, it easily could be McCarthy who wins a job at this point, which makes it even more irrelevant where he stands in the pecking order today.
McCarthy is a competitor, so it makes sense that he would want to start, but he’s saying all the right things about just trying to become a better player as he adjusts to the NFL. “It goes up. It goes down,’ he told Matthew Coller. “But I’m trying to maintain that trajectory of going up and up… Just attacking every day with a growth mindset, and it’s been doing me well so far.”
Seeing a rookie quarterback, who fans hope is the franchise’s saving grace, in Week 1 is an alluring thought. But if the team doesn’t believe he’s ready, they must keep him on the sidelines. Struggling early in his career could ultimately set him back, hurting him and the Vikings’ goals. Just ask Darnold. It’s to be patient, but in this situation, it’s smart for the coaching staff to pump the breaks a bit. If McCarthy has to sit one year as the third-string quarterback, and the payoff is a Super Bowl later in his career, the short wait will be more than worth it.
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