The Minnesota Vikings quarterback room will look vastly different in 2024 than in years past. Gone is veteran Kirk Cousins, who signed a deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
Taking his place is veteran Sam Darnold. After spending one season with the San Francisco 49ers, he lands with the Minnesota Vikings with a chance to start games in 2024.
For now, he is QB1 despite the team using a first-round pick on J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said the starting job will be Darnold’s heading into training camp.
It will be interesting to see how long he holds onto that job. The future of the Minnesota Vikings is McCarthy under center and it would not surprise anyone if he received significant snaps in Year 1.
However, at least one person is hoping starts for McCarthy doesn’t come in 2024. As shared by sports betting analyst Ben Fawkes on X, one better on FanDuel has wagered $250 that Darnold will win the MVP award this season.
With odds of 300-1, the bettor would take home $75,000 should the USC product win the award. It would be a shocking turn of events for Darnold to win the MVP, presenting the Minnesota Vikings with a unique quagmire.
The Minnesota Vikings would be able to use their NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers, as a good example. They selected Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft just to watch Aaron Rodgers win the MVP award two straight seasons.
That is an extremely unlikely outcome in Minnesota; Darnold has odds that long for a reason. But, the supporting cast is there for either Darnold or McCarthy to find success during the 2024 season.
MVP-level success, however, would be shocking. Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, has shown no signs of taking that kind of leap with his production on the field.
In 66 career appearances, with 56 starts, Darnold had completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 12,064 yards, 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions. He should find some success with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones as the top skill position players, but that $250 would have been better spent elsewhere.
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