The Minnesota Vikings have said Sam Darnold will be their quarterback until there is no doubt that rookie J.J. McCarthy is ready to assume the role. But despite the team’s anti-climactic stance on what could otherwise be a compelling QB battle, the Vikings still managed to make an intriguing decision at the position on their first unofficial depth chart of the preseason.

Darnold, who has taken all of the first-team reps throughout the spring and summer, did not surprise by opening August as the Vikings’ choice for QB1. However, Minnesota did turn a few heads on Tuesday, August 6, by listing McCarthy and Nick Mullens as co-backups.

“The #Vikings have listed Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback on their first unofficial depth chart,” Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team posted to X. “J.J. McCarthy is tied with Nick Mullens for the backup spot.”

Vikings’ QB Configuration Begs Questions About if, When McCarthy Will Take Starting Role From Darnold

GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Minnesota’s choice is interesting for a couple reasons.

First, McCarthy is the heir apparent to the starting role — Vikings brass has said as much publicly. As such, it makes sense to line him up in the No. 2 spot because, right now, that’s exactly what he is: the next man up.

However, if McCarthy was ready to play now based on the benchmarks laid out by head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, then he wouldn’t be second-string. He would already be starting.

The Vikings’ decision to list McCarthy and Mullens as tied for QB2 might be about optics. After all, the team traded up and this year’s NFL draft to select McCarthy No. 10 overall and listing him as third-string might send the wrong message.

On the other hand, should Minnesota decide to make McCarthy the backup come the season opener, that might say something about how the franchise feels about Darnold compared to the rookie in 2024.

Darnold and wide receiver Justin Jefferson have displayed strong chemistry during training camp and the former No. 3 pick looked better than he ever has during limited field time as the San Francisco 49ers‘ QB2 last year. All that is to say that Darnold, like many signal-callers with elite physical skills, may possess an untapped potential on a roster with the type of offensive firepower Minnesota offers.

In that case, McCarthy could theoretically reach the necessary benchmarks by the end of the preseason, or at some later point, and still not assume the starting role if the Vikings believe Darnold continues to give the team its best chance to win. In that scenario, McCarthy might be the backup all year long.

Jaren Hall Doesn’t Appear Long for Vikings’ Roster After Opening Depth Chart Posted

GettyQuarterback Jaren Hall of the Minnesota Vikings.

The second piece of intrigue to come out Minnesota’s designation of its quarterbacks Tuesday is that Mullens is clearly ahead of second-year QB Jaren Hall.

Hall, a fifth-round pick in 2023, started a couple of games for the Vikings last season as turmoil and injury hounded the position group for most of the campaign. However, Hall opened the preseason as the third-string QB and will presumably drop to fourth-string once the team determines its backup.

The Vikings will likely afford Hall some snaps in August, though the additions of McCarthy and Darnold over the offseason have clearly put Hall on the outside looking in at the 53-man roster. That said, he is still young (26) and has some NFL experience now, which should render him tradable at some point in the coming weeks.