The Vikings Can’t Fall In Love with Green Bay’s Jordan Love Plan

The Minnesota Vikings were battling the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon. Down 24-20, Sam Darnold just limped around the field, preparing himself for a critical play with under four minutes to go. After receiving the snap, Darnold evaded pressure and threw a bomb downfield to Justin Jefferson, who walked in for a game-winning 39-yard touchdown on the way to a 27-24 victory.

At that moment, Darnold looked like a franchise quarterback. In many ways, that throws a wrench into Minnesota’s plans. In August, some believed that J.J. McCarthy would be making this play, but Darnold’s surprising revival has complicated things next offseason.

In a way, it’s almost fitting that the Vikings host the Green Bay Packers next week. The Packers had a similar situation between Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love. Analysts from Alex Smith and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman have mentioned “The Jordan Love Plan” to let McCarthy sit behind Darnold and take the field next season.

But Green Bay’s development with Love isn’t one-size-fits-all. The Vikings cannot afford to be enamored with someone else’s plan. Whatever they choose, it needs to be in the best interests of their franchise.

This situation could cause Vikings fans to experience a case of deja vu. One year ago, the Vikings were involved in an important decision regarding Kirk Cousins. A six-year veteran, Cousins was one of the longest-tenured quarterbacks in franchise history and was starting to endear himself to a fanbase that loved his Kirko Chainz persona.

For a franchise that has employed everyone from Jim McMahon to Spergon Wynn over the past 25 years, letting Cousins walk was a scary thought. But it wasn’t for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who had a price in mind. With Cousins at age 35 and coming off a torn Achilles, the Vikings folded their cards and allowed him to sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

We’ll get to how that contract turned out for Atlanta in a minute, but this year’s quarterback decision will be more difficult for the Vikings. Darnold, 27, is in the prime of his career and showing the talent that made him one of the top prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft.

You know the story about Darnold’s failed stints as a starter with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. You also know there was no way to see Darnold’s season coming as he’s on pace to reach the 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns that made Cousins a lot of money over the past six years. But while Darnold’s path is all about the dollars, his contract will be about what they represent.

Darnold had a slow rise, taking his lumps at the beginning of his career before being reprogrammed by Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco and Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. In today’s NFL, most quarterbacks don’t get the second chance that Darnold has received. After taking a step back, Darnold thrived and became a franchise quarterback.

That's what analysts see when they think about McCarthy. While McCarthy won the national championship for Michigan as a 20-year-old, he didn’t throw the ball a lot because the Wolverines were playing with the lead under a run-heavy coach in Jim Harbaugh. McCarthy’s pre-draft analysis suggested he needed time to adapt to the speed of the NFL. While he’s been able to immerse himself mentally, his injury robbed him of the chance to enhance the physical aspect because he’s spent his rookie season on the sidelines.

In many ways, McCarthy is similar to Love as a rookie. A quarterback out of Utah State, Green Bay's selection of Love made Aaron Rodgers pour four fingers of tequila on draft night. Still, it was an overreaction because Love wasn’t ready to play. Three seasons behind a Hall of Fame quarterback did wonders for Love, and the Packers had their successor when Love became the full-time starter in 2023.

The Vikings could use the same blueprint. Re-sign Darnold, have McCarthy sit behind him, and move on when the young quarterback is ready. But while it was successful for the Packers, it also came with a catch.

They lit Love’s rookie contract on fire with the long-term development plan. The Packers are still capable of double-digit wins. Still, they couldn't load up the super team that the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, and Kansas City Chiefs were able to on the way to the Super Bowl.

Instead, the Packers have had to use one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. The result has been an inconsistent team that relies on its coaching staff in the same way the Vikings leaned on theirs to develop Darnold.

Maybe this didn’t matter because the Packers are pitching the city of Green Bay to their free agents. But it makes a considerable difference considering the state of the Vikings. Minnesota has some young players at crucial positions, including Jefferson and Jordan Addison at receiver and Dallas Turner at edge rusher. Still, they also have needs along the interior of the offensive line, the defensive line, and cornerback.

With only three draft picks in 2025, the Vikings will rely heavily on their $76.4 million in cap space to improve the roster. However, if Darnold gets close to the $34.5 million per season Over The Cap projects, it will become difficult for the Vikings to retain him.

It’s an even bigger possibility that Darnold will command more, especially if he leads the Vikings on a deep run in the playoffs. A 27-year-old quarterback playing at Darnold’s level rarely hits free agency. If his agent is doing this correctly, he could command a bigger contract than the one Cousins received from the Falcons.

The Falcons have buyer’s remorse after essentially cutting Cousins 14 games into the contract. But they are in a similar situation to the Vikings with Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings. While some believe Darnold creates leverage to let McCarthy develop, McCarthy could be the actual leverage to let him walk or trade him after using the franchise tag.

Another benefit is that Darnold probably isn’t a Hall of Famer, even if the play he made on Sunday looked like something you would see in a montage before a speech in Canton. But if the Vikings made it this far with their infrastructure, shouldn’t they trust their young quarterback to allow them to keep it in place?

It’s something the Vikings have to consider, even with one of the most successful succession plans in NFL history on the opposite sideline next Sunithing that could shape the Vikings, not just in 2025 but for many years to come.