Bill Simmons floats Vikings to trade J.J. McCarthy and re-sign Sam Darnold amid breakout season
Sam Darnold's career renaissance with the Minnesota Vikings has all but assured that he'll be a starter in the 2025 season. The veteran quarterback is having the best season of his career, playing in a contender and close to making the first playoff start since he was the third overall pick in the 2018 draft.
This was not the Vikings' Plan A. They signed Darnold in free agency, but they also used a first-round pick in Michigan's quarterback J.J. McCarthy, whom they planned to take over midseason. However, McCarthy suffered a serious injury during preseason, and the 2024 team was Darnold's team.
The veteran quarterback is putting in impressive performances. He has 28 passing touchdowns and 68.4% of completed passes, both career highs by a large margin. It's noticeable how well he's playing, but in a one-year contract, it's likely that the Vikings will turn to McCarthy in 2025 once he's fully healthy.
But NFL analysts are starting to discuss whether the Vikings shouldn't do the opposite: keep Sam Darnold and trade McCarthy to a quarterback-needy team. This idea was floated by Bill Simmons during a recent podcast appearance:
They might have actually found their QB, and maybe they should think about trading McCarthy. Sam Darnold was just winging it downfield. He really has energy with Jefferson and Addison. He has almost 3300 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 picks. And if they are in [playoffs] round one, he'll probably be a +4 point favorite. He's on a one-year deal. They have McCarthy, but I'd be really hesitant not to bring him back. I don't know. I'd have to really think about this one. He's only 27. It's not like he's Kirk Cousins: he's not 37, heading into his late 30s. He's entering the prime of his career. He's playing great.
Could the Vikings re-sign Sam Darnold in 2025?
In theory, it's possible, but they know that there's no way for him to accept to return to backup McCarthy. The only alternative for this would be for Minnesota to take a U-turn and trade the young quarterback to another team.
It would be an uncommon move, as first-round quarterbacks rarely are traded after just one season, with Josh Rosen being a famous exception in 2019. However, with Sam Darnold playing at this level, they certainly have to at least consider the possibility.
According to specialized website Spotrac, his market value in free agency would represent an average of $34.3 million on a four-year deal. If he does reach free agency, he's more than likely to earn at least $40 million on average in his new deal.