Vikings GM excited for offseason: 'We have a lot of good options' at QB

The Minnesota Vikings aren't dreading any offseason decisions about the future of the quarterback position. Instead, they are looking forward to it.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah believes the team has a good problem by having two options in either the veteran Sam Darnold, who is slated to be a free agent, or the returning J.J. McCarthy.

"You're making decisions under uncertainty," Adofo-Mensah told reporters, including Andrew Krammer of The Minnesota Star Tribune. "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."

Darnold signed a one-year contract last offseason and turned his opportunity into a career season, throwing for a personal-best 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns while compiling a 14-3 record. Despite this success, his campaign ended on a sour note as he struggled in a Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions and a playoff defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

"Incredible football for us. Won a lot of big games," Adofo-Mensah said of Darnold. "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."

The Vikings face the dilemma of deciding whether to retain Darnold either via an extension or franchise tag or allowing him to enter free agency. That would give the starter's job to McCarthy, who Minnesota selected 10th overall in 2024 but missed the season after meniscus surgery.

Adofo-Mensah said McCarthy has been progressing well in his return, and head coach Kevin O'Connell added the 21-year-old QB is in position to be "right where we hoped he would be at this point," according to Ben Goessling of The Minnesota Star Tribune.

"He's on the field, throwing and training," the general manger said, according to Will Ragatz of Bring Me The Sports. "He looks great. You talk about a kid who's just obsessed with football and loves being around the game. We're excited about what we have in him. We're excited about this offseason for him."

O'Connell, who has won 13 or more games in two of his three seasons as head coach, noted that he wants to sign an extension with the Vikings this offseason. His contract expires after the 2025 campaign.