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The Minnesota Vikings seem to have made a questionable decision by allowing Sam Darnold to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. On the surface, it made sense for the Vikings to do so, given they had just drafted J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 NFL Draft in the first round. More news: NFL Announces Stiff Penalties for Vikings’ Dallas Turner, Blake Cashman McCarthy was expected to be a decent quarterback in the NFL, despite some questions about his play at Michigan. Unfortunately, the youngster dealt with a tough knee injury, keeping him out of his entire rookie season. In his sophomore stint, he’s continued to deal with injuries, but when on the field, he hasn’t exactly played well. McCarthy has only played in two games up to this point, throwing for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. All that to say, his sample size is far too small to judge him and what his NFL career might look like. J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For the Vikings as a whole, however, there must be some disappointment in not having a better quarterback, given their fourth-place standing in the NFC North with a 3-4 record. According to the latest report from The Athletic’s Michael Silver, it sounds like McCarthy and Darnold’s lack of a relationship had an impact on what Minnesota decided to do. According to the reporter, the two Vikings quarterbacks didn’t exactly have a good relationship. “(Darnold) and McCarthy did not forge an especially close relationship during their time together, and it would have been hard to envision the untested youngster winning a fair competition,” Silver wrote. “The vibe didn’t seem right for such an arrangement.” More news: Vikings QB JJ McCarthy Receives Dire Warning Before Lions Return Had the Vikings brought Darnold back and had a quarterback competition, it feels safe to say that the veteran would’ve won the competition. However, that wasn’t how it played out, so no one will really ever know. For more on the Vikings and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
