NFL Rumors: Vikings Feel Darnold Has 'Untapped Potential'; McCarthy QB2 Indefinitely

The Minnesota Vikings reportedly believe quarterback Sam Darnold has yet to reach his ceiling at the NFL level.

During an appearance Saturday on SportsCenter, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler discussed the Vikings' feelings on Darnold and their desire for him to begin the 2024 season as the starter with rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy serving as the backup:

"The Vikings believe that there is untapped potential here, that there is a lot of ability. He's never had a supporting cast quite like this. So, they believe he can not only start games, but potentially thrive if everything goes well. So, their plan would be to sit J.J. McCarthy to an unknown amount of games, whether it's a full season, however many games that they believe he can learn a high-volume passing system behind the scenes at least for a little bit would be good for him."

Darnold was once a highly touted, young signal-caller like McCarthy, as the New York Jets took him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft.

However, after he went just 13-25 as a starter and threw 45 touchdown passes compared to 39 interceptions over three seasons, Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers.

Darnold once again failed to produce results that were any better than mediocre, though, going 8-9 and throwing 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in two seasons.

Last season, Darnold served as the San Francisco 49ers' backup behind Brock Purdy, making only one start, which he lost.

After the Vikings lost veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, they signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract in hopes that he could either serve as a one-year bridge or possibly tap into the potential he wasn't able to reach in three previous stops.

To Fowler's point, Darnold will have far better offensive weapons at his disposal in Minnesota than he did in New York or Carolina, led by wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, running back Aaron Jones and tight end T.J. Hockenson, although Hockenson is likely to miss some time at the start of the 2024 campaign after tearing his ACL late last season.

If the Vikings can get solid play out of Darnold, it would be an ideal scenario since it would allow the 21-year-old McCarthy to sit and learn before getting thrown into the mix.

That is a strategy that has worked well for the Vikings' NFC North rivals in the Green Bay Packers, who had both Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love serve as backups for multiple years before becoming the starter, and they each hit the ground running.

The Vikings used the No. 10 overall pick on McCarthy after he helped lead Michigan to a perfect season and a national championship in 2023, but there are still major question marks surrounding him.

McCarthy benefited from an elite running game and defense at Michigan, so he only had to throw for 2,991 yards, although he completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Some seasoning could serve McCarthy well, and if Darnold proves to be a fit for head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense, the Vikings have a chance to play winning football while allowing McCarthy to develop from the sidelines.