The restoration of Sam Darnold's career truly began on the morning of April 25, 43 days after he signed a one-year free agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings. It was draft day, and Minnesota was preparing to take a franchise quarterback in the first round.

Should the Vikings re-sign Darnold long term after his career year, or should they let him go and look to the future with J.J. McCarthy?

Vikings reporter Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune will attempt to answer a big question facing the team. Vikings fans were chanting “M-V-P!” for quarterback Sam Darnold during Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The plan has been in place since the start of training camp. J.J. McCarthy is clearly the Vikings quarterback of the future, and he will take over under center once head coach Kevin O’Connell determines that he is ready to trigger the offense and have it run at a high level.

No matter how much head coach Kevin O’Connell likes rookie QB J.J. McCarthy, letting Darnold go in 2025 would be a risky move.

ESPN's Ben Solak explained why Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should explore making J.J. McCarthy available to other clubs before the opening night of the 2025 NFL Draft.

When Sam Darnold signed a one-year deal to quarterback the Vikings this past offseason, not many people thought the former top-five pick would have an MVP-caliber year. Darnold has helped guide the Vikings to an 11-2 record and battling for the No.

The Minnesota Star Tribune's Mark Craig, one of 50 voters tasked with choosing the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, processes Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold's chances at winning the award.