It’s next man up for the Minnesota Vikings.
While J.J. McCarthy’s rookie season has come to an abrupt and unfortunate end, Sam Darnold is hoping to adequately fill his shoes as the Vikings’ starting quarterback for the 2024 season. A big positive for Darnold is that he has the support of teammate and superstar receiver Justin Jefferson.
“It’s going very well,” Jefferson recently told Evan Washburn on CBS Sports HQ when asked about Darnold’s status as QB1. “I definitely feel confident in going into Week 1 with Sam as our quarterback. I feel like he’s been making plays throughout training camp. I don’t have any worry in my mind at all.”
A former No. 3 overall pick, Darnold is in the midst of his first season with the Vikings. He spent last season as Brock Purdy’s backup in San Francisco. He spent the previous two seasons with the Panthers, who acquired him via a trade with the Jets, where he played from 2018-20.
Darnold has been the victim of some unfortunate circumstances. He was part of unsuccessful rebuilds in both New York and Carolina. And while both of those tenures were deemed disappointing, Darnold did have a measure of success on both stops.
In 2019, Darnold posted a winning record as the Jets’ starter. Three years later, after beginning his second season in Carolina as a backup, Darnold helped the Panthers win four of their final six games following a 3-8 start.
Based on Jefferson’s comments, it’s safe to say Darnold’s previous NFL experiences are paying dividends.
“Sam is the veteran in our offense,” Jefferson said. “He knows different schemes and knows the offense very well. He calls it very well in the huddle. He’s been doing a great job of just trying to figure out everything. Of course, figuring out how I run my routes and the timing of everything. We’re just working on how to have that type of chemistry and connection.”
A lot of Darnold’s success in Carolina was his ability to feed off a strong running game. He’ll surely look to do that again in Minnesota with Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler behind him. Rest assured that Darnold will also lean on Jefferson, who appears to be back to his usual dominant self after an injury sidelined him for seven games last season.
Jefferson, in turn, is going out of his way to help Darnold and the rest of the Vikings’ quarterbacks.
“I always tell those guys, give me an opportunity,” Jefferson said when asked about his communication with the Vikings’ quarterbacks. “Give me a chance to go up and make a play for us. I try to give those guys as much confidence as I can.
“Of course, this offense is new for them and they’re just trying to grab all of the things that they can. … Just trying to give them a little boost every single time we’re in that huddle. Give them a dap, give them little encouraging words for them to go out and make a play for us.”
