Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell: Sam Darnold has ‘earned the right to explore what it means to be a Pro Bowl quarterback’

After being named NFL Coach of the Year on Thursday night, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell continued to praise quarterback Sam Darnold while alluding to the possibility that he’s headed elsewhere next month.

Darnold may be the best passer available during NFL free agency, which opens in March, after throwing for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns during his first season in Minnesota. His performance was a big reason why the Vikings won 14 games, why O’Connell earned Coach of the Year honors, and why Darnold could get paid elsewhere despite having his two worst outings in losses that ended the Vikings’ season against the Lions and Rams.

“He’s earned the right to really explore what it means to be a Pro Bowl quarterback, a 28-year-old guy who played pretty darn well,” O’Connell said Thursday night in New Orleans. “We’re not the only team in the league that believes that. Sam knows how we feel about him, what this thing is all about. We’ll have great dialogue and make sure whatever happens that it’s the best for Sam.”

Darnold was one of the NFL’s best bargains for the Vikings last season, when he performed like a high-end starter for much of the year while earning just $10 million on a one-year deal. Darnold realized his potential as a former No. 3 overall pick with the help of O’Connell and talented teammates, but none of the Vikings’ leaders are talking about him as a long-term option in Minnesota.

Darnold was brought in as a bridge to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, last year’s 10th overall pick who recently said he is looking for a “fair opportunity” next season. The Vikings might be looking for another veteran backup in case McCarthy isn’t ready by Week 1.

“Really excited about J.J. McCarthy and where he’s at in his rehab,” O’Connell said. “He’s really hit the ground running as the true offseason has begun.”

The Vikings can control Darnold’s future if a strong market develops.

Teams have a two-week window from Feb. 18 through March 4 to apply the franchise tag, a one-year pact that would allow the Vikings to trade Darnold for draft capital before free agency opens March 12.

O’Connell had strong words about Darnold, who overcame a 21-34 start to his career with the Jets and Panthers, but said he’s happy to be “a chapter” in his career.

“It was as much fun as I’ve had coaching the position,” O’Connell said, “Getting a chance to work with Sam every single day. Really challenged him from Day 1 to focus on exactly where his feet were planted.”

“I thought Sam Darnold had a phenomenal season,” he added. “I’m so proud of him. I’m glad to be a part of his quarterback journey, a chapter in that quarterback journey that was so successful for him.”

O’Connell again brought up other NFL teams and the quarterback’s improved reputation when asked about his commitment to Darnold.

“No matter where he was at before he arrived in his quarterback journey, it was about maximizing our time together,” O’Connell said. “I think we did that, and I think it was a very special year for Sam. What that earned him is everybody in our league now thinks he’s a bona fide, legitimate starting quarterback in our league.”

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah further professed his belief in O’Connell as a teacher at quarterback, where the Vikings will be looking for similar strides from McCarthy regardless of the other quarterbacks on the roster next season.

“He and I had a multi-year process on all quarterbacks,” Adofo-Mensah told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Thursday. “[Sam] was a joint decision, but that came from my belief in Kevin. In the way he teaches. When you get somebody that talented in the building, you know he’s going to get the most out of them that they have.”