What’s going on with the Minnesota Vikings? The team has been creating waves due to the sudden change in their QB lineup. Everyone knows they did not offer Sam Darnold an extension out of nowhere, and now it appears the team is making another shocking decision. Any guesses as to what it could be? Well, the Vikings may have found a cheaper replacement for Darnold. Daniel Jones? Nah-ah, it’s someone else.

Surprisingly for the Vikings, JJ McCarthy is their low-cost alternative to Darnold. Yes, that’s right. The young QB who tore his meniscus in August 2024 has been getting looked at as the team’s next long-term starter. According to reports, the team is looking forward to his return from his knee injury, but they do not want to rush things for him. It has been speculated that McCarthy may need a few more months to properly heal. And hopefully, he can return for the 2025 training camp. But what happens if he doesn’t make it? Or worse, if he misses a few weeks of the regular season?

Well, in that case, the Vikings are looking to re-sign Daniel Jones. ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler revealed the details explaining, “One possibility that shouldn’t be overlooked in Minnesota is re-signing Daniel Jones to pair with J.J. McCarthy, whenever he’s ready off his knee injury. People I’ve spoken to believe that’s a real consideration for the team. As was told to me, McCarthy has already proven to the staff he’s the franchise quarterback, but the team won’t rush his timeline; they want the process to unfold organically.”

If you recall in August 2024, JJ McCarthy underwent a season-ending knee surgery, which was pretty serious. At that time, it was clear that healing from such an injury would take a significant amount of time. Due to this, Minnesota does not want to rush things for McCarthy and rather let the 22-year-old first heal fully and then come back. To sort even more things in this situation, the team is also looking for a backup for Daniel Jones. Once again it was Fowler who revealed the plan, stating that the organization was interviewing rising prospect Cam Ward at the NFL Combine.

All of this indicates that the Vikings are most probably not looking to re-sign Sam Darnold in 2025. But, the 27-year-old will most likely not have any issues. After all, he’s getting a lot of offers from multiple teams.

The Vikings have not given up on Sam Darnold yet

Darnold’s growing market value has been a major issue for Minnesota in re-signing the QB. You too would understand that the team cannot let a talented QB like him simply go like that. After all, everyone witnessed that the 27-year-old led the squad to 14 victories in 2024, and that is an amazing feat. Perhaps the Vikings still have a soft spot for Sam Darnold? And this would explain why the quarterback has not been ready to sign with new teams yet.

Rumors have it that the Vikings may still be looking for a way to keep Darnold, but at a reduced price. And it appears that their attempts have had little impact on the quarterback. Another explanation for this lack of impact on the QB is that Sam has received lucrative offers from four different teams. Jeremy Fowler reported this once again, suggesting that Darnold may receive a four-year contract of up to $160 million.

Fowler stated in his recent reports, “There’s not much momentum coming out of the combine that the Vikings will franchise tag Darnold, who should have multiple suitors if available. The Giants, Raiders and Titans are among the logical options. And I’m not totally discounting the Steelers here — not yet, at least.”

The Vikings must resolve their quarterback situation pretty soon. The deadline for teams to offer their players cap hits is March 14, after which the rest of the unsigned players will be eligible for free agency this summer. So stay tuned to see where Sam Darnold will land this year. And until he gets a deal, post your prediction below.