Overview
- After the 2024 season Minnesota chose rookie J.J. McCarthy over veteran Sam Darnold, a move that later helped prompt the firing of GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
- In May, Darnold told the San Clemente Podcast he accepts the decision as a business call and said he believes McCarthy can develop into a good player.
- Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks and then led them to a Super Bowl, finishing the season with 4,048 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
- McCarthy struggled through injuries and uneven play in 2025, appearing in 10 games with 1,632 passing yards and 11 TDs while posting poor advanced metrics that analysts say risk labeling him a bust.
- Minnesota's one-year deal for Kyler Murray creates an open QB competition that analysts and local media view as favoring Murray and forces a near-term decision on McCarthy's roster status and his fifth-year option.