J.J. McCarthy's NFL future appears clear after Vikings disastrous performance
It wasn't all that long ago that analysts were floating trade scenarios for Minnesota Vikings rookie QB, JJ McCarthy. After being selected with the No. 10 overall pick by the Vikings, McCarthy suffered an injury during the preseason that would keep him sidelined for the entire 2024 campaign. Enter veteran QB Sam Darnold, a veteran who was looking to capitalize on a QB friendly situation in Minnesota. Darnold, who bounced in the league before finally landing in Minnesota during the off-season, had struggled to establish himself as a legitimate QB1 in the NFL. But things started to look different with the Vikings, leading to speculation that McCarthy's future in Minnesota could come to an early end.
The Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year contract worth $10 million. Although the initial belief was that Darnold was simply a one-year placeholder while McCarthy developed, the veteran QB helped lead the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record, setting up a Wild Card playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.
With Darnold on the verge of potentially leading the Vikings on a Super Bowl run, speculation began to circulate that McCarthy may be on his way out of Minnesota.
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky floated the idea of a blockbuster trade that would send McCarthy to the Browns for a No. 2 pick or Myles Garrett, while NFL analyst Mel Kiper had McCarthy potentially heading to New York in exchange for the Giants' No. 3 overall pick.
Those potential trade discussions evaporated on Monday night.
In a brutal 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold looked completely rattled throughout the evening. After a sluggish first quarter, things got worse for Darnold and the Vikings in the second quarter. He tossed an interception to Cobie Durant early in the second, then fumbled the ball later in the quarter on a strip sack that led to a touchdown for LA. In the end, Darnold was sacked nine times, threw one interception, and gave up a strip sack for a touchdown in what is likely his final performance as a Viking.
Following the loss, Vikings fans seemed eager for the JJ McCarthy era to begin in Minnesota, and the widespread belief is that they'll get it.
“You've got to play to a certain standard,” Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said following the loss. “And we didn't do that.”
For his part, Darnold understood that his play simply wasn't good enough on Monday night.
“They were just better than us today,” Darnold said. “I left a couple throws out there that I could be better on, especially early in the game. ... Just too many mistakes.”
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