Kevin O'Connell makes stance clear on Sam Darnold's future after Vikings HC's viral comments

On Thursday, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell got people talking after his Coach of the Year win and it was about quarterback Sam Darnold. During a press conference, he commented on the team’s goal of winning a championship and hinted that Darnold could play a big role in that success.

All the hoopla started when reporter Dave Birkett shared O’Connell’s words on X:

"Our goal is to win a championship, and Sam Darnold is going to be a huge part of it when we do it.”

Darnold played on a one-year contract last season. He had a strong year, but the Vikings fell short in the end. O’Connell’s words made it seem like Darnold might be the team’s choice moving forward.

However, O’Connell later clarified his statement.

On Thursday, speaking to local media, the Vikings head coach cleared up his earlier comments about Darnold. He said:

"I don't necessarily think that was 100% accurate. It was in the spirit about answering a question about (Darnold's) season, and what he was able to do this year. And then the follow up in regards to what it's going to take to win a championship"

O'Connell continued:

"Look, you guys know how I feel about (Darnold). He is a guy who we identified last year as someone who could come in and be successful, and really no matter where he was before he arrived, it was about maximizing our time together.

"And I think we did that. I think it was a very special year for (Darnold), and what that earned him is that everybody in our league thinks that he's a bonafide, legitimate starting quarterback in our league and can win a lot of football games. He won 14 of them, so he's earned the right to be a free agent."

At the same time, O’Connell said the Vikings are still deciding on their quarterback for next season.

They are talking with Darnold while also excited about J.J. McCarthy’s recovery. With other quarterbacks like Daniel Jones, Brett Rypien and Nick Mullens on the roster, O’Connell said having depth is important.

Now, the Minnesota Vikings have a big decision to make. Over the past three weeks, the team has been considering three options. Firstly, the team wants to offer Darnold a long-term contract by using the franchise tag to keep him for another year.

Alternatively, the Vikings could trust rookie J.J. McCarthy, their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy missed his first season due to a knee injury but is now back in training.

Sam Darnold got third-most votes for AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award

Sam Darnold surprised everyone this season. Playing on a one-year, $10 million contract, he had the best year of his career, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in 17 games. Collectively, it led him to get the third-most votes for the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

The award went to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.