Minnesota’s JJ McCarthy vs. Sam Darnold dilemma suddenly got easier

Often times, answers to seemingly difficult decisions tend to reveal themselves in time. For the Vikings, the right way to solve their quarterback dilemma became clear in the final 120 minutes of football.

When the lights got brighter, Sam Darnold returned to his ghost-seeing ways. That makes it a lot easier to let Darnold become a free agent and move on with JJ McCarthy, the No. 1 pick in 2024.

Some believe McCarthy will be the best quarterback in the upcoming draft pick class. Not long ago, this created a temptation to try to trade McCarthy. Now, this should be considered a half-full reason to believe things will be better if/when McCarthy takes over the offense.

As much as the Vikings would love to keep an experienced veteran, what about Daniel Jones? A top-10 pick by the Giants in the first round the year after the Jets traded to No. 3 to get Darnold, Jones accomplished more than Darnold did in his pre-Minnesota days. And it became clear after the Giants cut Jones that he wasn’t this team’s problem.

Regardless, the Vikings should seriously consider that statement Go with God To Darnold. Someone else will give him the starting job. He will do well in the regular season. But if the Vikings hope to return to another Super Bowl, they must move on from the player who has banged his head against the ceiling over the past two weeks and see if McCarthy can do for Minnesota what he did for Michigan.