Say Goodbye to 1 Vikings QB Idea

With March quickly approaching, the identity of Minnesota’s QB1 in the 2025 campaign is still widely unknown. J.J. McCarthy, last year’s tenth overall pick, is still under contract. Sam Darnold is set to become an unrestricted free agent after a Pro Bowl season, and numerous veteran QBs join him in the free-agency pool.

Say Goodbye to 1 Vikings QB Idea

In the quick rumor-driven state of the media cycle, all kinds of passers have been linked to the Vikings for their vacant signal-caller position. Those include Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, Jimmy Garappolo, and the return of Kirk Cousins.

On Friday, one option has left the chat: Matthew Stafford. The Super Bowl champion will return to the Los Angeles Rams after flirting with other destinations in the last few weeks, ignited by some podcast appearances of his wife, Kelly.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Friday, “LA’s quarterback is back: the Rams and Matthew Stafford reached agreement today on a restructured deal that keeps him in Los Angeles and quashes any and all trade speculation, per sources. The first significant off-season QB domino has fallen.”

We will never know how hot Stafford’s exit really was and if the Vikings were actively interested in the 37-year-old. Stafford has thrown for 59,809 yards and 377 touchdowns in his career with the Lions and Rams. His Rams eliminated the Vikings from playoff contention just over a month ago. Only the Rams and the Lions managed to defeat the Vikings in the 2024 season.

Stafford actually made some sense for the Vikings for various reasons. For one, he has a history with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, who coordinated the Rams’ offense to their Super Bowl triumph in the 2021 season before becoming Minnesota’s head coach. It possibly was Stafford’s best year.

Jordan Dajani (CBS Sports) wrote about a potential reunion a couple of weeks ago, “A return to the NFC North? I think what the Vikings decide to do at quarterback this offseason is super fascinating. Many are penciling in Darnold to return in 2025, but what if another semi-stable organization offers him more money? Then, if Darnold leaves, would the Vikings immediately throw J.J. McCarthy into the starting lineup? Maybe. Or they could acquire another veteran.”

“Stafford and Kevin O’Connell are already familiar with each other, having won a Super Bowl together with the Rams back in 2022. Who wouldn’t want to see Stafford close out his NFL career by throwing the rock around to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson? (Maybe Lions fans).”

Now that Stafford is off the board, the Vikings need to look in a different direction for their QB1 or QB2 spot, depending on how far along McCarthy is.

Potential targets include Daniel Jones, who spent the last few months with the Vikings, another year of Darnold if he doesn’t generate the desired interest on the open market, or veterans Joe Flacco, Jacoby Brissett, or Jimmy Garappolo. There are about a dozen decent veteran backups or bridge starters.

One thing is clear: Stafford won’t wear the purple colors in the upcoming season. Conversely, the Rams won’t enter the Darnold sweepstakes.

Editor’s Note: Information from Over The Cap and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.

Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt