One of the training camps that garnered a lot of interest earlier this month was the Minnesota Vikings. After years with Kirk Cousins at the wheel, Minnesota was breaking new ground. The Vikings held off trading up when quarterbacks were flying off the board until they gave away far less than projected to land J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick in the draft.
They had their player. The Vikings came up with a Plan B scenario, signing veteran Sam Darnold on a team-friendly, one-year deal similar to the contract Baker Mayfield signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. The primary difference was that the Vikings had a dissimilar plan in place. As soon as McCarthy was ready, Darnold was heading to the bench – a “rent don’t own” situation in Minnesota.
That ended in the first preseason game. McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus, and his rookie season is over. Plan B is now Plan A in Minnesota.
