Sam Darnold’s final two games of the 2024 regular season seemed to suggest the Minnesota Vikings would part ways with the veteran after the season. After all, they spent the 10th overall pick in last April’s draft on J.J. McCarthy.
But not everyone is so sure that will be the case. NFL Network’s Tom Peliserro believes that even though the Vikings aren’t going to trade McCarthy, they may bring Darnold back in 2025 due to concerns about the 2024 first-round pick’s knee injury, he told Sportskeeda.
I would say on paper the most logical outcome of this is Sam Darnold still in Minnesota. J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season coming off knee surgery. They believe in him. They’re not trading J.J. McCarthy. But there’s no precedent for a guy missing an entire year of reps as a rookie and coming back and playing again like it hasn’t happened.
Pelissero then went on to talk about how well Darnold played most of the season.
All I know is Sam Darnold played the best football of his career under Kevin O’Connell. The last two games notwithstanding it makes sense for Sam Darnold. All things equal to come back it makes sense for the Vikings to bring him back. They won 14 games with him…. They also have the franchise tag at their disposal if they choose to use it.
It’s interesting to hear Peliserro come out and say this. He is a reporter and isn’t out to voice his opinions like Skip Bayless or Dan Orlovsky. Peliserro is likely relaying information he has heard from someone in the Vikings’ organization or Darnold’s camp.
Could it be leverage from the Vikings to try pumping up Darnold’s value in hopes of a “tag-and-trade”? Or could it be Darnold’s camp trying to make the Vikings feel the need to bring him back, knowing they have the best team to maximize his talent?
We’re a month and a half away from getting a resolution. But that doesn’t mean we won’t keep getting conflicting reports.