"Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it,"
"But having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better."
"It's definitely tough. It's tough to watch,"
"Of course, I love that he's in the Super Bowl. I'm happy for him, I want"
The Minnesota Vikings finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs after a five-win decline from 2024. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson questioned whether results would have differed if Sam Darnold had been the starter instead of the often-injured J.J. McCarthy. Darnold had been signed in 2024 as insurance and flourished under Kevin O'Connell, throwing 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, ranking fifth in passing yards and earning a Pro Bowl nod. The Vikings let Darnold go after 2024; he signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks and led them to Super Bowl LX. McCarthy played 52% of snaps, attempted 243 passes, and missed 25 games across his first two seasons. Jefferson maintained belief in McCarthy as QB1 but still wondered what might have been given Darnold's success.
Read at ESPN.com
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