That’s really crazy of JJ McCarthy because most of the guys who where…

The Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason and are heading into 2024 with the expectation to win now.

Instead of throwing another massive paycheck at Cousins — who was fantastic for the Vikings during the regular season but was never able to go on a significant run in the playoffs — the Minnesota brass let the Atlanta Falcons give their former QB a major payday and decided to hit the reset button on the QB position.

The Vikings signed former first round pick Sam Darnold  — who spent last season as a backup for the San Francisco 49ers — shortly after the free agency period began. There’s a widespread belief in NFL circles that Darnold, who got thrown into a bad situation with the Jets out of college and never found his groove, has the tools to thrive in Kevin O’Connell’s QB-friendly system.

The Minnesota Vikings are expected to give Darnold the first chance at starting QB for 2024, but make no mistake, they drafted former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy in the first round to be their franchise signal caller of the future.

The 10th overall pick in April’s draft, McCarthy joined the Vikings following a highly-success two-year run as Michigan’s starting quarterback. During that span, the Wolverines went 28-1 and last year captured the school’s first national title since 1997.