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.
Sam Darnold
Darnold was the third pick in the 2018 draft and it took the New York Jets less than three years to determine he was a failed experiment, cutting ties to draft Zach Wilson (and fail again).
Darnold was sent packing again after two years with the Carolina Panthers when they traded up for the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to take Bryce Young. After a year in San Francisco, Darnold came to Minnesota on a one-year deal to serve as a placeholder until McCarthy was ready, but McCarthy’s injury has opened the door for Darnold to get what may be his last chance as an NFL starter.
For a quarterback with a career passer rating of 78.3 (63 touchdowns, 56 interceptions), Darnold has by far the the most impressive weapons he’s had in his career, but nobody is holding out a lot of faith that he’ll find lightning in a bottle.
Nick Mullens
Mullens spent three years with the San Francisco 49ers and one with Cleveland before coming to the Vikings in 2022. When Cousins went down, the Vikings went through three starting QB with Mullens finishing the season.
He wasn’t successful, but in fantasy football, wins and losses don’t matter – it’s the numbers you put up. In four starts, Mullens topped 300 passing yards three times (303, 411, 396) and threw two touchdown passes in all three games in which he threw for 300 yards.
He may be the closest barometer to the big games that are possible with Minnesota’s offense, even though the Vikings could be a double-digit loss team this year.
Jaren Hall and Matt Corral
A fifth-round pick in 2023, Hall was supposed to be a long-term developmental project behind Cousins. However, Hall was injured in his first start replacing Cousins and never regained traction. In the three games he played, Hall completed 13 of 20 passes for 168 with no touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 70.4. While those numbers don’t inspire confidence, the Vikings will need to decide whether Hall is worth a second season in an offense he already knows. The No. 3 quarterback spot will likely come down to Hall or Corral. Minnesota may try to sneak him through to the practice squad.
When McCarthy was placed on season-ending IR, the Vikings signed Corral the same day. Like Darnold and Mullens, Corral has been a career disappointment in the NFL. A third-round pick of the Panthers in 2022, he was waived following one season and spent this spring playing for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions after waffling on joining New England’s practice squad in 2023. Like Darnold and Mullens, he’s hoping his time in Minnesota doesn’t mark the end of his NFL career.
Fantasy football outlook
There is a conundrum with drafting Darnold that is similar to the scenario the Buccaneers had when they made Mayfield their starter by default. Mayfield was viewed as a career failure, but the Buccaneers had too many prolific offensive weapons for Mayfield to be a complete bust.
It can be fairly claimed the Vikings’ passing game is built for success like few others. Justin Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in the game. Jordan Addison caught 70 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. Tight end T.J. Hockenson likely won’t be available until closer to midseason, but he’s one of the league’s elite tight ends. Running back Aaron Jones also is a threat in the passing game.
Despite the wealth of talent around him, Darnold is ranked in the QB28-30 range in ADP, which would not get him drafted in 12-team leagues. Mullens, Corral and Hall have no fantasy value unless Darnold goes down or gets permanently yanked. In his brief duty at the end of 2023, Mullens proved a sub-par quarterback could post big numbers, so he ultimately could be the most valuable of the group.
Nevertheless, Darnold will end up on a roster at some point, but it will probably be after a couple rostered fantasy starters go down.
