Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback odds: Who will start in Week 1?

The Minnesota Vikings selected quarterback J.J. McCarthy - who led the Michigan Wolverines to the 2024 National Championship in college football - with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he is not guaranteed to immediately take over as the starter.

The Vikings also brought in veteran QB Sam Darnold this offseason after the team's former starting QB, Kirk Cousins, signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

While he has not started more than 10 games in a season since 2021, Darnold provides someone to mentor and motivate McCarthy while also giving the team an experienced quarterback in case head coach Kevin O'Connell decides McCarthy is not ready to be a Week 1 starter.

Darnold appeared in 10 games last season with the San Francisco 49ers, but he started just once and most of his appearances were in blowouts. Still, he completed 60.9 percent of his 46 pass attempts, throwing two touchdowns and one interception while averaging 6.5 yards per pass attempt.

In 15 games for Michigan in 2023, McCarthy posted a 72.3 pass completion percentage and a 22-4 TD-INT ratio. He averaged 9.0 yards per pass attempt, but the main question is how he will cope with the increased speed and physicality of the NFL.

Either way, these QBs will have support from skill position players led by arguably the best wide receiver in football, Justin Jefferson, as well as WR Jordan Addison, tight end TJ Hockenson and running back Aaron Jones.

Minnesota Vikings Starting QB - Week 1 odds

Sam Darnold	-400
J.J. McCarthy	+300

Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.