A look at the pros and cons of quarterback options for Vikings in 2025

Who should Minnesota start under center in Week 1 next season?

Nolan O'Hara | Feb 21, 2025

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford hug after the NFC wild-card game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 13, 2025. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

The talk of the offseason for the Minnesota Vikings is who will take the first snap under center in 2025.

The Vikings could bring back last year's starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, either by the franchise tag or a longer-term deal. They could roll with J.J. McCarthy, whom they selected with the No. 10 overall pick in last year's NFL draft. They could sign a veteran, like Daniel Jones who was with their practice squad last season, to compete with McCarthy and be an insurance option. They could bring in a veteran — names like Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford have been floating as potential options for the Vikings. Who will they roll with next season, and what are the pros and cons of each option?

Let's take a look:

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Sam Darnold

Pros

Darnold is coming off the best year of his career in his first season in Minnesota, posting the fifth-most passing yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35) in the NFL in 2024. The Vikings know what they have in Darnold: a quarterback who knows Kevin O'Connell's offense and can excel in the system. You have to want to run that back in 2025.
Darnold is still only 27 years old. There's plenty more good football ahead of him.
Chemistry. Darnold spent an entire season building familiarity with Minnesota's wide receivers, tight ends and running backs. They'd be able to hit the ground running with Darnold back under center next season.

Cons

Darnold's price tag will go up significantly one way or another. It seems like most likely scenario for Darnold to return is the franchise tag, which would pay him $41 million for next season, a significant jump from the one-year, $10 million contract he played on last season. That would limit what the Vikings could spend on other positions of need in free agency, and there are certainly other holes to fill on the roster. Is the money best spent on Darnold?
Darnold had a fantastic season, but it was also something he hadn't showed before in the NFL. And his struggles in the final two games of the year didn't do a lot to instill confidence going forward. Would he be able to meet the moment in another go around? Did Darnold show something he can repeat, or was the 2024 season just a fluke? There's no way of knowing any of that until Darnold takes the field again in 2025.

J.J. McCarthy

Pros

McCarthy is on a rookie contract, and if the Vikings aren't spending big on him, there's tons of flexibility elsewhere.
O'Connell declared McCarthy the quarterback of the future last preseason. It's clear the Vikings have belief in the young quarterback, who as an unknown, has limitless potential. Darnold's 2024 season may have been his ceiling — McCarthy's ceiling hasn't even been explored yet. There's reason to believe it could be much higher.

Cons

McCarthy is coming off a torn meniscus, so if he takes over in 2025, it will be after a season of rehab instead of a season of practicing and learning under Darnold. It's hard to tell if he'd be 100% ready coming off a lost year. And like with any first-year quarterback, there's certain to be some growing pains with McCarthy taking the reins.
As a unknown, McCarthy has the potential for a higher ceiling than someone like Darnold, but there's also the possibility he has a much lower floor. He'll take the field eventually one way or another, but the reality for now is that he remains an unknown. Maybe McCarthy will be great, but you can also do a lot worse than Darnold.

Daniel Jones

Pros

Jones got the chance to learn O'Connell's offense last season when he spent time with the practice squad. You wouldn't have to start from scratch, and Jones likely comes at a significantly lower price tag than Darnold.
If you want to let McCarthy compete for the starting job, there's no better competition for him than someone like Jones. If the Vikings want to open that competition, it makes no sense to do it against Darnold when he's making $41 million. But Jones has something to prove after an unsuccessful end to his tenure with the New York Giants. He's demonstrated that he's capable enough as an NFL starter, so if McCarthy isn't ready, there's reason to believe Jones can hold his own. But it's also fair to say that Jones should have to earn it to become an NFL starter again.

Cons

Jones probably doesn't have a super high ceiling at this point in his career after the disappointment with the Giants. He's a pretty low-risk option, but he can't be expected to replicate what Darnold did last season.

Aaron Rodgers

Pros

Unlike many of these other quarterbacks, it's clear exactly what Rodgers' ceiling is — NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion. When Rodgers is at his best, he's unquestionably a game-changer and arguably as good as anyone.
It would just be fun to see Rodgers complete the Brett Favre arc. The script couldn't be written any better.

Cons

Rodgers is 41 years old, will turn 42 during the 2025 season and is one year removed from an Achilles injury. Sure, the Vikings wouldn't be looking at Rodgers to be a long-term solution, rather just a one-year stopgap, but it's also possible Rodgers' best days are behind him. He didn't look quite the same this past season coming back from the Achilles injury, and whether he can return to MVP and Super Bowl-winning form is far from a guarantee.
There's a history of Rodgers wanting to do things his own way, from bringing his friends in to play alongside him to wanting to call his own plays. Perhaps Rodgers has earned that right, but O'Connell has established a pretty darn successful culture in Minnesota. If Rodgers cannot or is unwilling to buy into that, he's just not the right fit.

Matthew Stafford

Pros

Like Rodgers, Stafford is also a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who has a clear ceiling. Unlike Rodgers, that comes without the questions of whether he can still get it done. Stafford led the Rams to an NFC West title and a NFL wild-card victory as recently as this year. It's clear he can still get the job done and lead a winning team.
Who was Stafford's offensive coordinator when he won his Super Bowl? That would be O'Connell. Stafford should be able to fit seamlessly into O'Connell's offense and replicate the success the two shared in Los Angeles.

Cons

In another similarity to Rodgers, Stafford is in the latter years of his career having just turned 37.
The Vikings would have to pull off a trade for Stafford, whose future is murky with the Rams. That likely wouldn't come at a crazy cost, but Stafford's contract would compare with Darnold playing on the franchise tag, and Stafford is under contract for two more years. That's at least something worth considering with McCarthy in waiting. Would the Vikings really want McCarthy to sit for three years before seeing him take the field?

Sam Darnold

Pros

Cons

J.J. McCarthy

Pros

Cons

Daniel Jones

Pros

Cons

Aaron Rodgers

Pros

Cons

Matthew Stafford

Pros

Cons

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