Sam Darnold’s breakout should make the Vikings unthinkable

Of the many surprises the young NFL season has offered so far, arguably none have been as as surprising as the reinvention of Sam Darnold with the Minnesota Vikings. The former No. 3 overall pick once seemed destined to be remembered as a meme model, but he found new life under Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, tearing up the league and helping Minnesota to a perfect 4-0 start.

Darnold was dynamite in the Week 4 win over the Green Bay Packers, showing off the athleticism and arm talent that made him so coveted at USC while avoiding the backbreaking mistakes that made him so coveted at USC. ‘had been paralyzed as a professional. This version of Darnold, surrounded by these supporting casts and coaching staff, looks like a top-10 passer in the league, someone good enough to make the tough throws that lead teams to the Super Bowls. He also looks good enough for Minnesota to rethink its long-term plans at the position.

Remember: Darnold was only supposed to be the Vikings’ insurance policy, a seat warmer who would eventually and inevitably give way to top 10 pick JJ McCarthy. Now, however, McCarthy is sidelined until next season after undergoing knee surgery, and Darnold looks like the kind of passer worth investing in (and the kind of passer that other teams would kill to pay on the open market).

Minnesota may not have seen this coming a few months ago, but it’s a sunk cost at this point. Things are going too well right now to let Darnold remain a temporary solution, and the best solution at this point is to make him the QB of the present and future – while also finding a trade partner for McCarthy.

This may seem thoughtless, and in some ways it is; four games isn’t exactly a robust sample size. But it’s not like Darnold appeared out of nowhere. There’s a reason he was ranked third overall at one time; physical ability has always been evident and was never what held him back in his previous stints with the Jets and Panthers. His partnership with O’Connell appears to have toned down while leaving those strengths intact, and the result is a whole new player — someone the Vikings can win because of him, not in spite of him.

This offense doesn’t hold Darnold’s hand, and while throwing to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison certainly helps, it’s not like we haven’t seen other lesser QBs struggle in the same environment.

(Here’s your periodic reminder that, as fun as it was at the time, Josh Dobbs eventually caught fire in Minnesota, as did guys like Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall. If O’Connell’s offense really was also “just add water” that people sometimes want to make it seem like the Vikings wouldn’t have had to put McCarthy in the top 10 in the first place O’Connell and Darnold are a mutually beneficial partnership, the. one of the best players in the league who can accentuate a talented passer who can finally play in front of a decent offensive line and make the kind of throws he excels at).

So if we establish that this version of Darnold (or something close to it) is real, what should that mean for the Vikings going forward? It’s tempting to trust O’Connell, let Darnold hit the open market this offseason and roll with McCarthy in a much more team-friendly rookie deal. But this Minnesota core is ready to win right now; Brian Flores might get another head coaching job before long, Jefferson is in his prime and the offensive line isn’t getting any younger. Yes, it will largely reduce the team’s salary cap, but the added upside is worth paying, and there should be a strong enough market for McCarthy that you can recoup valuable draft capital as well additional.

McCarthy presented himself as a sort of Kirk Cousins ​​clone, a guy who would throw the ball where and when it should be thrown (albeit with a little more mobility to the side). Darnold, however, unlocks another level in this offense, one that will be extremely important come playoff time, when things get tougher and third-and-long games are more common. Playing value, saving money and going for McCarthy is the prudent thing to do. These Vikings are pretty good at throwing caution out the window and trying to win big.