Sam Darnold to Start over J.J. McCarthy in Vikings' NFL Preseason Opener vs. Raiders

Sam Darnold will be the starter for the Minnesota Vikings in their first preseason game on Saturday.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, head coach Kevin O'Connell said the team would look to Darnold to start Saturday's matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders before turning things over to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Darnold spent last season as a backup for Brock Purdy on the San Francisco 49ers before signing a one-year deal with the Vikings this offseason following Kirk Cousins' departure for the Atlanta Falcons.

While he wasn't in a starting role last season, the seventh-year veteran has been a starter for much of his career, most recently with the Carolina Panthers in 2022. Darnold started six games for the Panthers in the latter half of the 2022 season, throwing for 1,143 passing yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Vikings used the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on McCarthy after a successful three years at Michigan. Last year, McCarthy had 2,991 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions, leading the Wolverines to a national title.

Since the start of the summer, O'Connell has made it clear McCarthy would need to earn the QB1 role. In June, he named Darnold the starter for training camp and doubled down on that statement in July, saying Darnold would take the majority of first-team reps in training camp.

Also in July, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said McCarthy would need to be "all-world" across training camp and preseason to be the starter heading into the first week of the season. Fowler also said the Vikings are "lowkey excited" about Darnold.

As preseason unfolds, McCarthy could impress his coaches and earn the starting role heading into Week 1, but for now it's certainly Darnold's job to lose.