While Week 18 didn’t go as planned for the Minnesota Vikings, they still finished 14-3, and one of the best teams in the league, all while having Sam Darnold under center. Looking ahead at 2025, the Vikings have a quarterback position decision to make.
After drafting JJ McCarthy in the 2024 NFL Draft, it seemed as though he was going to be the future of the franchise for Minnesota. After suffering a torn meniscus in his knee during the preseason, McCarthy has missed his entire rookie season. This allowed Darnold to step up and take over the starting spot, a role in which he has not looked back on. On one side of things, the Vikings could look to trade McCarthy given his younger age in a year where the draft class will be weak. Yet, there is also the outcome where the Vikings franchise tag Darnold before he becomes a free agent, and then trade him to a contending team.
In this instance, the tag and trade Darnold route would be beneficial for the Vikings, and a team that makes sense is the Miami Dolphins.
– Tua Tagovailoa’s Contract is Holding the Miami Dolphins Back
It is clear that after finishing 8-9, and missing the playoffs, that the Dolphins need to restructure their team. One of those spots being at the quarterback position. Tua Tagovailoa has played decently, but he has been unavailable and hasn’t been able to fully raise the ceiling of the offense under Mike McDaniel.
With Darnold, the Dolphins would be getting more consistent quarterback play as he has put together a 4,319-yard, 35 touchdowns season with just 12 interceptions. Under Kevin O’Connell, Darnold has gotten used to running an offensive scheme very similar to that of the Los Angeles Rams with Sean McVay as that is where O’Connell came from. This would help Darnold transition over to the Dolphins easily as McDaniel came from the Kyle Shanahan tree, and runs a very similar system as well.
With the Dolphins needing better quarterback play, but still having the talent to compete, they can’t look towards the draft to get a rookie and take the time for him to develop. Instead, they need a plug-and-play quarterback that can elevate the unit right away, and Darnold fits that mold, while the Vikings avoid their quarterback dilemma and get compensation in return.