The Minnesota Vikings are 10-2 and have established themselves as a legitimate contender in the NFC.
That looked like a long shot at the start of the season, especially after they lost quarterback J.J. McCarthy for the entirety of his rookie campaign with a knee injury.
Not many people thought Sam Darnold was the right guy to lead the Vikings to a winning season, much less to the playoffs.
Apparently, even the Vikings had a different plan on their minds.
According to a report by Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Vikings knew that Kirk Cousins was going to leave as a free agent, and considering the fact Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams were having a tough time finding common ground for a new contract, Minnesota thought about swooping in and making a run at the Super Bowl champion.
Kirk Cousins' offseason exit from Minnesota wasn't ugly.
But eventually, Cousins moved on. And the Vikings had a hole at quarterback.@DMRussini traces their offseason steps that led them to Sam Darnold ⤵️https://t.co/95ZsjPe1yN pic.twitter.com/JXqfBjl86G
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 7, 2024
Stafford eventually stayed with the Rams, and the Vikings went forward with Darnold.
Fast forward to today, and it may have been the right decision.
As great as Stafford is, he’s not getting any younger, and Darnold’s numbers have been slightly better this season.
Darnold has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,952 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
By comparison, Stafford has completed 66.0 percent of his throws for 2,983 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven picks.
Darnold has taken his career to a new level under Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and has made a strong case for being their starter going forward.
But with McCarthy still the future of the team, Darnold might have to find himself a new home during the upcoming offseason.
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