Vikings

Sam Darnold's Collapse Highlights J.J McCarthy's Development

Photo Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings’ Wild Card loss last Monday night was one of the most astonishing cases of Bright Light Syndrome in recent memory. Sam Darnold spiraled, and Minnesota’s special 2025 season ended abruptly. But even a cynical fanbase felt a shock at seeing the Cinderella-story QB crumble, especially considering how well he had played for most of the season. The whiplash induced by those two games indicates how quickly Darnold, 27, had turned his career around.

Given the final impression Darnold left on everyone, the question of whether the Vikings will bring him back seems ominously clear, especially since rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy should be able to play next year.

To make sense of Darnold’s success this season and why his sudden regression was so damning, you have to understand what he endured during his early-career development — and also just how different the development track looks for McCarthy.

Darnold only won two games as a rookie with the New York Jets. The first pass of his NFL career was a pick-six on Monday Night Football. Quincy Enunwa and Robbie Chosen were New York’s top pass-catching options that year.

Darnold’s development stalled with an offensive line that ranked 25th overall. That, among other follies, helped seal the fate of Todd Bowles, a cautious defensive head coach. The Jets hired Adam Gase to replace Bowles a year later, arguably worsening the situation.

Darnold became the victim of the pattern of bad teams expecting rookie quarterbacks to win immediately. Meanwhile, the change in the coaching staff and offensive scheme further hampered his development.

The third-overall pick in 2018 could not ever focus on one offense, trying to develop relationships each year with new coaches and coordinators and not getting enough help on the field. Darnold also had his fair share of questionable decision-making on the field. That vicious cycle cost him the first five years of his career.

Then, he met Kevin O’Connell.

A prevalent storyline this year highlighted the impressive job O’Connell did rejuvenating Darnold’s career after people thought he was washed. Darnold exceeded expectations to the point that fans and media alike wondered who deserved more credit: the head coach or the quarterback.

However, Darnold’s success under O’Connell was not due to voodoo magic or the summoning of spirits. Instead, it takes a fundamental understanding of what makes a quarterback successful in today’s NFL.

O’Connell’s scheme relieved the pressure on Darnold to make the play. Of course, the benefits of Minnesota’s deadly arsenal of offensive weapons will allow any quarterback to play better. After all, one of those weapons is the best wide receiver in the league.

As McCarthy gets healthier and can compete to become the starter next year, he will begin his career on the other end of the metaphorical train tracks from Darnold — the shiny side with big lots and luxury automobiles.

The Vikings have over $70 million in cap space, sitting at the sixth most in the league. You combine cash with what O’Connell does best through his relationships with quarterbacks, and there’s a lot to be excited about again. With Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson under contract through next year and beyond, McCarthy begins his career in a uniquely favorable situation.

Minnesota’s quarterback room even went as far as putting a GoPro on Darnold’s helmet during in-season practices so that McCarthy could study his live reps and scan the field from the perspective of what this offense accomplished during the year. That’s how much the Vikings are investing in their future.

Darnold’s arm talent allowed for some boom or bust moments in the offense. Conversely, McCarthy’s game-management play better fits O’Connell’s offense.

The Vikings can rest easy knowing they are not following a dated, inadequate model for developing young quarterbacks; the coaching personnel is equipped for such a transition. J.J. McCarthy does not face any of the early tribulations that Sam Darnold experienced. Minnesota has set him up for success.

We don’t know if the Vikings will bring back Darnold, but the heartbreak he left fans with carried a different sort of sting this time around. The direction of going all in on McCarthy could be the remedy for a broken heart.

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