Do the Vikings want QB Sam Darnold back? Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell don’t say no

Quarterback Sam Darnold’s disappointing finish to this Vikings season does not close the door on him returning to the team in 2025.

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters during Thursday’s season-ending news conference that Darnold is among the “good options” the Vikings have at quarterback moving forward.

Darnold, who prior to this year hadn’t been a Week 1 starter since 2021, made $10 million on a one-year deal while throwing for his first 4,000-yard, 35-touchdown season. His best year to date ended with his two worst starts in the two biggest moments during the season-finale loss in Detroit, in which the NFC’s No. 1 seed and NFC North title was at stake, and Monday night’s playoff loss against the Rams.

“Incredible football for us. Won a lot of big games,” Adofo-Mensah said Thursday. “We’re talking about games where he won them for us. There were a lot of games where he was a win-because-of type of player. You also have to net that with all of [the games] in totality. I don’t want to give you the stock answer, but it really is everything we do is, ‘What’s the team around him going to look like? What does this piece fit into our whole championship equation?’ We’ll do those exercises like we did last offseason.”

“You’re making decisions under uncertainty,” he added. “Once you find a course of action, it’s about how you go about your plan. How you show up every day and get the best version of whoever you decide to go with at quarterback. How does that fit into your long-term picture? Contract structure? All those things will go into our plan. I’m excited to have those conversations, because I think we have a lot of good options. At the most important position in our sport, I think that’s a great thing.”

Those options are led by Darnold and first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the 10th-overall pick who Adofo-Mensah said is “on the field throwing and training” after missing his rookie season while undergoing two procedures to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

O’Connell said it’s “way too early” to know the direction at quarterback when asked whether Darnold’s play changed his outlook for the 2025 season.

“I envisioned [Darnold] having that kind of year,” O’Connell said. “[McCarthy] was absolutely on the right track. At the same time, I do remember saying Sam was having a great training camp. ... I think it’s a remarkable thing to have all those guys in the room.”

“As we kind of decompress and go through those games,” O’Connell added, “which we’ll do many, many times, probably too many times to be honest if I’m speaking totally for myself. ... We’ve got to acknowledge the big picture and my job as head coach is figure out every layer of the why of how it ended.”

Adofo-Mensah said team leadership “didn’t necessarily decide” on a timeline for McCarthy before Darnold took the reins at the start of this season.

“I always ask Kevin before the season starts,” Adofo-Mensah said, “‘What information would you need to kind of change your mind?’ And say it beforehand, so you’re not whipped around by what could potentially happen. We had those conversations beforehand. Look, we thought there was a chance Sam Darnold could play at a high level.”

“Did we know it was going to be Pro Bowl?” he added, “I’m not going to sit here and tell you... I think there was some part of us that all believed Sam was going to have a really good season, so when we made the move it was part of the calculus. I think everybody looks at these things as binary. ... I don’t think it is that. I think it’s making sure you have a certain level of play at the quarterback position for as long as Kevin and I are here. I think we’ve set ourselves up to do that and we’re excited about that opportunity.”

Got a question about the Vikings? Email it to accessvikings@startribune.com. We’ll answer your questions in an upcoming Access Vikings newsletter or podcast.