Playing under Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell helped quarterback Sam Darnold receive a three-year, $100.5M contract from the Seattle Seahawks roughly 12 months after many viewed him as a journeyman backup.
For a piece published Friday, multiple team executives spoke with The Athletic's Mike Sando about whether 2022 fifth-round draft pick Sam Howell could follow in Darnold's footsteps with the Vikings if 2024 first-round selection J.J. McCarthy isn't ready to go, coming off the full meniscus repair that cost him his rookie season.
"You know what is going to happen? J.J. is going to get banged up, and Howell is going to walk in there and become the next Sam Darnold," one executive told Sando.
Howell went 4-13 as the Washington Commanders' QB1 during the 2023 season. According to Pro Football Reference, he ended that campaign ranked 24th among qualified players with a 42.4 adjusted QBR and 29th with a 78.9 passer rating. Additionally, he tossed a league-worst 21 interceptions before Washington traded him to the Seahawks in March 2024.
Howell was a backup with Seattle last season as the previously mentioned Darnold guided the Vikings to a 14-3 record and a playoff berth. Before Darnold became a revelation while working with O'Connell, he flopped during stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. Like what Howell experienced last season, Darnold enjoyed a bit of a career reset when he spent most of the 2023 campaign serving as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.
O'Connell wants McCarthy to "earn" the QB1 gig, which has caused some to wonder if Howell could make things interesting during the summer. Last year, Darnold essentially won a competition for the Minnesota starting job before McCarthy went down with his injury.
"Stop," a different executive said about such chatter. "There’s no comparison. J.J. will be really good, and (O’Connell) will make sure he is good."
As long as some football community members continue to suggest that Minnesota could consider bringing Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins back to the organization this summer, questions about what McCarthy is and/or isn't at this stage of his recovery will hover over the Vikings. Howell likely shouldn't be seen as anything more than a backup for any team, but it's worth noting that the same could've been said about Darnold in May 2024.
