Do the Vikings want QB Sam Darnold back? Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell don’t say no

Quarterback Sam Darnold’s disappointing finish to this Vikings season does not close the door on him returning to the team in 2025.

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters during Thursday’s season-ending news conference that Darnold is among the “good options” the Vikings have at quarterback moving forward.

Darnold, who before this year hadn’t been a Week 1 starter since 2021, made $10 million on a one-year deal while throwing for his first 4,000-yard, 35-touchdown season and making his first Pro Bowl. His best year to date ended with his two worst starts in the two biggest moments during the season-finale loss in Detroit, in which the NFC’s No. 1 seed and NFC North title was at stake, and Monday night’s playoff loss against the Rams.

“We got to see Sam play some incredible football for us, won a lot of big games,” Adofo-Mensah said Thursday. “There were a lot of games where he was a win-because-of type of player. You also have to net that with all of [the games] in totality. I don’t want to give you the stock answer, but it really is … ‘What’s the team around him going to look like? [How] does this piece fit into our whole championship equation?’ We’ll do those exercises like we did last offseason.”

“You’re making decisions under uncertainty,” he added. “Once you find a course of action, it’s about how you go about your plan. How you show up every day and get the best version of whoever you decide to go with at quarterback? How does that fit into your long-term picture? Contract structure? All those things will go into our plan. I’m excited to have those conversations, because I think we have a lot of good options. At the most important position in our sport, I think that’s a great thing.”

Those options are led by Darnold and first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick who Adofo-Mensah said is “on the field throwing and training” after missing his rookie season while undergoing two procedures to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said it’s “way too early” to know the direction at quarterback when asked whether Darnold’s play changed his outlook for the 2025 season. Darnold is one of three Vikings quarterbacks, including Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens, whose contracts expire on March 12. The Vikings have the option to retain Darnold’s rights with the franchise tag, a one-year, tradable pact that can be applied starting Feb. 18, in lieu of a multiyear agreement.

“Sam should be very proud about the season he put together from start to finish,” O’Connell said. “He answered the bell day in and day out with his preparation. And really, I think he learned a lot about what he can be in this league. And I think he proved to the whole league that he can play a winning level at quarterback.”

“[McCarthy] was absolutely on the right track,” O’Connell added. “He maximized what this year was for him. I think he’s got a level of comfort in our offensive system and getting to really have a front-row seat for every aspect of what Sam went through.”

Adofo-Mensah made clear that Jones, the former Giants starter who joined the Vikings in November, is also an option for the Vikings in 2025.

“A great opportunity for us and for Daniel also,” Adofo-Mensah said. “It’s two ways to see if this is the building he wants to be in. And I’ll keep our conversations private in our exit interviews, but I think he’s a potential option for us going forward.”

With Darnold, how does O’Connell evaluate a season in which he was the first quarterback in NFL history to win 14 games with a new team, but also completed just 53% of his passes and had more turnovers (2) than touchdowns (1) over the final two losses?

“It’s important for us to take a large-scale look at everything that went into those games,” O’Connell said. “Both how we prepared, how we handled the season up until that point. Why were we not at our best in those games?

“Sam did a lot of fantastic things,” he added. “I think everybody around this league acknowledges the type of season Sam had. … As we kind of decompress and go through those games, which we’ll do many, many times, probably too many times to be honest if I’m speaking totally for myself. … We’ve got to acknowledge the big picture and my job as head coach is figure out every layer of the why of how it ended.”

O’Connell was asked whether he could’ve helped Darnold more against the Rams with quicker passes. Darnold took an NFL playoff record-tying nine sacks, many coming after more than a few seconds in the pocket.

“There was a lot of their game plan was designed to take away those early-in-the-down quick throws,” O’Connell said, “and that’s where it required a layer of getting into the progressions and having real decisiveness with the things we did.”

Is McCarthy, whose season-ending knee injury happened in his first preseason game in August, an option to start for the Vikings in the 2025 season? Adofo-Mensah praised the mental growth shown by McCarthy, who turns 22 this month as the youngest of six quarterbacks selected in the first round of last year’s draft.

“We’re really confident in him,” Adofo-Mensah said. “His work ethic, and his preparation. But I can’t sit here and tell you I know anything for certain. I know that I’m willing to believe in the person that we have. That position is about talent and preparation. And he’s got those things in spades. And so if that’s the course of action we decide, we’ll go there confidently.”

Adofo-Mensah said they “didn’t necessarily decide” on a timeline for McCarthy before Darnold took the reins at the start of this season.

“I always ask Kevin before the season starts ‘What information would you need to kind of change your mind?’,” Adofo-Mensah said, “And say it beforehand, so you’re not whipped around by what could potentially happen. We had those conversations beforehand. Look, we thought there was a chance Sam Darnold could play at a high level.”

“Did we know it was going to be Pro Bowl?” he added, “I’m not going to sit here and tell you. … I think there was some part of us that all believed Sam was going to have a really good season, so when we made the move, it was part of the calculus. I think everybody looks at these things as binary. ... I don’t think it is that. I think it’s making sure you have a certain level of play at the quarterback position for as long as Kevin and I are here. I think we’ve set ourselves up to do that and we’re excited about that opportunity.”

Got a question about the Vikings? Email it to accessvikings@startribune.com. We’ll answer your questions in an upcoming Access Vikings newsletter or podcast.