Although the Minnesota Vikings’ messaging about their quarterbacks was unclear earlier this month, it has become much more straightforward in recent days. Did they want to keep Sam Darnold? Possibly, but only under the right conditions, which didn’t align with the deal he got from Seattle. Were they interested in 41-year-old free agent Aaron Rodgers? There was some discussion, but for a week, it was unclear just how serious they were.
However, the speculative narrative has shifted to a more defined direction: second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy is now their primary focus, and they are committed to giving him every chance and resource to be the Week 1 starter in 2025.There are still safeguards in place, like the possibility of adding a veteran quarterback, and Rodgers can’t be entirely ruled out as long as he’s unsigned. But it’s clear the Vikings want to send a strong message about their confidence in McCarthy.
They are settling into their plan, which will require their decision-makers to step into unfamiliar territory at quarterback—something the organization hasn’t experienced in a decade. Veteran quarterbacks tend to offer more reliability, with steady performances but limited upside compared to a less proven talent like McCarthy. The last time the Vikings fully committed to a young quarterback was in the mid-2010s when they drafted Teddy Bridgewater. They let him gain experience during his rookie year with 12 starts in 2014 before making him the permanent starter in 2015.
In an alternate timeline, Bridgewater (who is only 32) might still be their starter today. He led the Vikings to an 11-5 record and a division title in 2015, and there was high confidence that he’d take a big leap in his third year before his devastating knee injury just before the 2016 season. Since then, the Vikings have leaned on veteran quarterbacks, valuing the stability they provide: Sam Bradford was quickly brought in after Bridgewater’s injury in 2016; Case Keenum stepped in admirably in 2017; Kirk Cousins led the team for six seasons from 2018 to 2023; and Darnold joined last year after McCarthy’s preseason knee injury eliminated any thoughts of a quarterback competition. This approach has kept the team consistently competitive, with playoff appearances in four of those nine seasons and no fewer than seven wins in any of them.
However, it’s also been a challenging way to reach elite status in today’s NFL. Super Bowl contenders typically either have a top-tier veteran quarterback or a young starter on a budget who allows the team to build a championship-caliber roster. The Vikings haven’t had either of those since Bridgewater’s injury, and it remains uncertain whether they will in 2025, as McCarthy’s performance is still unpredictable. But if the choice is between the certainty of being good and the possibility of being great, it’s a risk worth taking every time.
