BB.“It’s Crazy!” — NFL Execs Rip Vikings for Stunning QB Move After Letting $100M Pro Bowler Walk

In a shocking turn of events, the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback carousel has become the talk of the NFL in 2025, with league executives openly questioning the team’s decision to part ways with two proven quarterbacks in favor of an untested rookie. The Vikings’ 2024 roster featured three quarterbacks who are now starters across the league in 2025, but it’s the team’s choice to bank on first-round pick J.J. McCarthy that has raised eyebrows and sparked heated debate.

Last season, Sam Darnold turned heads with a Pro Bowl-caliber performance in Minnesota, leading the team to a successful campaign. His reward? A lucrative $100 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, where he continues to shine as a starter. Meanwhile, Daniel Jones, who spent just two months under the tutelage of Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, parlayed his brief stint into a starting role with the Indianapolis Colts. Despite Minnesota reportedly offering Jones a richer deal, the Colts dangled the one thing the Vikings couldn’t: a guaranteed starting spot.

Then there’s J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ bold bet for the future. Selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy has yet to take a meaningful snap in the league. At just 22 years old, he’s shown flashes of potential but also the expected growing pains of a rookie thrust into the spotlight. To make matters worse, an unforeseen injury has sidelined McCarthy, leaving the Vikings with Carson Wentz—an unexpected and unplanned starter—under center.

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NFL executives, speaking anonymously to The Athletic’s Mike Sando, have not held back their criticism of Minnesota’s quarterback strategy. One exec called the decision to let Darnold walk and commit to McCarthy “absolutely crazy,” pointing to Darnold’s proven track record in 2024. “To take a quarterback who won that many games and go to J.J. McCarthy, who you don’t know can play, I just don’t get it,” the executive said. The sentiment echoes a broader skepticism about the Vikings’ choice to prioritize potential over experience.

The decision to move on from Darnold, who’s thriving in Seattle, and Jones, who’s found a home in Indianapolis, has left Minnesota in a precarious position. While Darnold and Jones are playing like Pro Bowl talents, McCarthy’s inexperience and current injury have forced the Vikings to rely on a backup plan they never intended to use. Critics argue that the team could have built on the momentum of 2024 with a veteran quarterback while allowing McCarthy to develop behind the scenes.

Still, it’s too early to write off the Vikings’ gamble. McCarthy’s youth and raw talent suggest he could yet become the franchise quarterback Minnesota envisions. The only way to know for sure is to let him face the fire of NFL competition. For now, though, the Vikings’ bold move has sparked a firestorm of second-guessing, with NFL insiders labeling it a “baffling” and risky choice that could define the franchise’s trajectory for years to come.