Kevin O'Connell announces Sam Darnold will start preseason opener, JJ McCarthy to follow

Sam Darnold sits atop the Vikings depth chart. And coach Kevin O’Connell said the quarterback will start in Minnesota’s preseason opener, with JJ McCarthy getting some action as well.

O’Connell announced the depth chart news Thursday as the Vikings prepare to host the Raiders on Saturday. It’ll be Darnold, then McCarthy. Then it’ll possibly be Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall, the only two quarterbacks who were on the roster last season. As for plans for the rest of the team, O’Connell said the “majority” of the players will see action against the Raiders.

The Vikings are preparing for their first season without Kirk Cousins, who left for the Falcons this spring. They signed Darnold, the former USC star who was the third pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Early in Darnold’s career, he was a starter with the Jets, then the Panthers. In fact, back in 2018, the then 21-year-old became the youngest quarterback to start an opener since the NFL-AFL merger. He spent last season backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco. Minnesota offered a better opportunity for him to start.

Then there’s McCarthy, who led the Michigan Wolverines to the NCAA title back in January. McCarthy was a fast riser during draft season. The Vikings selected him with the 10th pick, overall, indicating he’s likely the team’s future.

McCarthy hasn’t won the second-team job outright. In the depth chart issued earlier this week, he had an “OR” by his name with Mullens. Hall would then be fourth string. Both Mullens and Hall started games with the Vikings last season after Cousins ruptured his Achilles.

The first-team quarterback gets to throw to Justin Jefferson, one of the best receivers in the NFL. The Vikings are paying him as the best receiver. Last month, Minnesota signed Jefferson to a contract worth $35 million a year. That makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Reports out of Vikings training camp suggest Jefferson and Darnold already have good on-field chemistry. That makes sense considering Darnold is taking the first-team reps in practice.

Jefferson recently assessed both Darnold and McCarthy.

“They’re both different types of quarterbacks,” Jefferson told reporters last week. “Sam is more of a vet quarterback, he likes to put touch on the ball here and there, he knows what speed he needs to throw the ball and how he needs to throw the ball. J.J.’s still young and just wants to rip it all the time. (He) has that strong arm and wants to get it there.”