Vikings Laughably Have Faith In a Draft Bust

The Green Bay Packers head into next season with the mindset of getting back to the top of the division and leading the charge once again. The Packers have won the NFL North title in eight of the past 11 years.

In 2023, they went 9-8 and made it to the playoffs but had to go on the road for every contest. They will be fighting against the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and the Minnesota Vikings for the title.

Their biggest competition will certainly be the Lions, as they are coming off a dominant campaign that saw them go all the way to the NFC Championship Game.

Meanwhile, the Vikings underwent a lot of change, with Kirk Cousins leaving town. That led to them signing Sam Darnold and drafting J.J. McCarthy.

With training camp about a month away, the Vikings seem to have a lot of faith in Darnold.

In an appearance on Sportscenter on June 15, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed that Minnesota has high hopes for the former USC product.

"The Vikings believe that there is untapped potential here, that there is a lot of ability. He's never had a supporting cast quite like this. So, they believe he can not only start games, but potentially thrive if everything goes well. So, their plan would be to sit J.J. McCarthy to an unknown amount of games, whether it's a full season, however many games that they believe he can learn a high-volume passing system behind the scenes at least for a little bit would be good for him."

- Jeremy Fowler

That is certainly high praise for someone who hasn't produced at a high level in the NFL. Darnold is now playing on his fourth team in his six-year career.

After being the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, Darnold failed to develop into a consistent passer, struggling to read coverages and make the right pass.

In 56 career starts, Darnold has completed 59.7% of his throws for 12,064 passing yards with 63 passing touchdowns and 56 interceptions. In addition, he had a 21-35 record.

Those stats aren't much to fond over, which is why the Vikings took McCarthy with the 10th overall pick this past draft.

To add more fuel to the fire, it looks like he isn't ready to touch the field either. Being QB2 behind Darnold with no plan of playing is definitely a statement.

Regardless, this sounds like great news to Green Bay as Minnesota has blind faith with the most important position on the football field.

More Packers news and rumors: