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Credit: Casey Gower-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Casey Gower-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings turned to Sam Darnold when they needed help at quarterback, following Kirk Cousins\u2019 departure to Atlanta. This year, however, it was Darnold who needed replaced\u2026 just not as a starter.<\/p>\n
With a healthy redshirt rookie JJ McCarthy ready to slide in at QB1<\/a>, the Vikings were fixated on adding a quarterback who would more naturally slot in as a backup. After a couple months in QB2 limbo, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for Sam Howell during the draft<\/a>, solidifying the QB room for 2025.<\/p>\n In some ways, Howell does draw many parallels to Darnold, but are there any plausible scenarios where he actually plays meaningful snaps in 2025? Well, the most likely route to a Sam Howell appearance during the regular season is if JJ McCarthy \u2014 who missed all of 2024 with a torn meniscus \u2014 gets hurt again.<\/p>\n Anonymous NFL executive predicts disaster for JJ McCarthy\u2026 with a cherry on top<\/p>\n And believe it or not, there\u2019s an anonymous NFL executive there who actually put those bad vibes onto the internet this week. In an article at The Athletic<\/a>, NFL insider Mike Sando<\/a> asked multiple anonymous front office executives for their opinion on the state of several different NFL teams.<\/p>\n When it came time to provide analysis for the Minnesota Vikings, the exec quoted in Sando\u2019s piece projects that McCarthy will hurt himself again, forcing Kevin O\u2019Connell to turn to Sam Howell\u2026 the QB whisperer head coach will then mold into \u201cthe next Sam Darnold\u201d. Even Sano and the other anonymous exec feel uncomfortable with Exec 1\u2019s prediction.<\/p>\n Exec 1: \u201cYou 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Sando: Really? The Athletic<\/a> (quotes via anonymous NFL executives)<\/p>\n Before we talk about Howell, and whether or not he is even capable of filling Sam Darnold\u2019s shoes, let\u2019s address the elephant in the room. I\u2019m all about free speech in the USA, but if there\u2019s one thing that should be illegal to put on the internet, it\u2019s a JJ McCarthy injury prediction. Seriously, who does that?<\/p>\n Could Sam Howell be Sam Darnold if forced into action?<\/p>\n Look, Sam Darnold had an excellent season that resulted in a Pro Bowl and 14 wins regular season wins. And even prior to landing in Minnesota, Darnold was drafted out of USC No. 3 overall, with sky-high potential that he just never reached.<\/p>\n Once Darnold got around Kevin O\u2019Connell, QB coach Josh McCown, along with Justin Jefferson and the gang\u2026 he took off. Let\u2019s not act like Sam Howell doesn\u2019t have some untapped potential too, though. Yes, he slipped to the fifth round back in 2022. But Howell is only 24 years old<\/a> and he already has 18 NFL starts under his belt.<\/p>\n And for most of his college career<\/a>, Sam Howell was seen as a potential first-round pick. Hell, he set the school record at North Carolina<\/a> for career passing yards (10,283) and touchdowns (92). He started at UNC as a freshman and his first two seasons were extremely productive.<\/p>\n 2019 (freshman): 3,614 yards, 61.4% comp. rate, 38 TD, 7 INT, 35 rush yards<\/p>\n 2020 (sophomore): 3,586 yards, 68.1% comp. rate, 30 TD, 7 INT, 145 rush yards, 5 TD<\/p>\n 26\/49 | 348 yards | 5 TDs | 0 INT<\/p>\n Sam Howell really put up video game numbers \ud83d\ude28\ud83c\udfae#CarolinaFootball<\/a> | @Sam_Howell2 @TarHeelFootball<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/WRQASWBrdd<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 25, 2019<\/a> <\/p>\n Related: MN Vikings\u2019 Biggest Winners and Losers From 2025 NFL Draft<\/a><\/p>\n However, UNC lost several players to the NFL Draft before Howell\u2019s junior (final) season in Chapel Hill. Top running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter were selected in the second and fourth rounds. The Tar Heels\u2019 two leading receivers, Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome, were selected in the third and sixth rounds, respectively.<\/p>\n Losing that much star power didn\u2019t just have a huge impact on North Carolina\u2019s lack of success in 2021, it also sank Howell\u2019s draft stock the next spring. His completion percentage dropped back down near his freshman season, without the yardage or TD production.<\/p>\n Junior season at UNC dropped Howell\u2019s draft stock<\/p>\n One thing Howell did prove as a junior, that he had yet to in his first two seasons. He\u2019s athletic. After rushing for under 200 yards and 5 total touchdowns in his first two seasons as a Tar Heel, Howell ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final season. <\/p>\n 2021 (junior): 3,056 yards, 62.5% comp. rate, 24 TD, 9 INT, 828 rush yards, 11 TD<\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason why Kevin O\u2019Connell targeted Sam Howell. He has all the talent needed to be a really good quarterback. He just hasn\u2019t been blessed in that area for years. Until now\u2026<\/p>\n Howell has less than ideal size for an NFL QB, at 6-foot 5\/8\u2033, which also likely impacted his draft stock, yet he was still widely projected as a second-round pick<\/a>. Meanwhile, another former second-round pick, Jalen Hurts, just won a Super Bowl for a stacked Eagles team and it\u2019s not hard to see Howell\u2019s arm talent. <\/p>\n Sam Howell’s top 20 plays this season (according to me): pic.twitter.com\/LslebqMpeB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 16, 2023<\/a> <\/p>\n The Minnesota Vikings feel their roster is good enough to compete with anyone, and Howell has the confidence to rip the ball all across the field. If he\u2019s called upon, he just might capture the hearts of Vikings fans, just like another young quarterback named Sam did last season.<\/p>\n Related: Minnesota Vikings Post-Draft Power Rankings Say\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n Yet, this is still just the backup plan because it is McCarthy\u2019s job to lose. All things considered, the Vikings\u2019 QB2 does have the upside to play the part of QB1, if necessary, but the Vikings hope they won\u2019t have to break the emergency glass for the second year in a row.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: JJ McCarthy<\/a> Sam Howell<\/a> <\/p>\n More About:Minnesota Vikings<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t
Exec 2: \u201cStop. There\u2019s no comparison. J.J. will be really good, and the coach (Kevin O\u2019Connell) will make sure he is good.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/NFL-Green-Bay-Packers-at-Seattle-Seahawks-24997570-788x525.jpg\")
Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images<\/p>\n