Sam Darnold starting 'all season' for Vikings is comedy gold for Bears fans

The Chicago Bears have approximately zero question marks when it comes to the starting quarterback position.

'Approximately' as in, well, exactly -- zero. None. Zilch.

The Bears are set with rookie Caleb Williams and are ready to ride into battle with the no. 1 overall pick. But, across the NFC North, there could be a potential quarterback competition with the Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy.

If you ask those who are well-informed, though, the possibility of a competition is seeming less and less likely.

In one of Alex Kay's recent pieces over at Bleacher Report, the possibility of Darnold starting "all season" appears real, at least according to the NFL expert.

Wrote Kay:

"The Minnesota Vikings landed a potential franchise quarterback in J.J. McCarthy during the 2024 NFL draft, but there's a chance he won't see the field as a rookie ...

... there's a chance Darnold rehabilitates his career thanks to the opportunity to work with elite receivers such as Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison."

It looks like the Bears could see Sam Darnold twice in 2024, waiting until 2025 for a meeting with J.J. McCarthy

Kay's insight comes just days after ESPN's Jeremy Fowler had this to say on an episode of Sportscenter:

"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."

Although the Vikings have a promising rookie in McCarthy, it appears as though this organization could do something that only classifies as "so Vikings." It would be such a Vikings move to watch them start the consistently-mediocre Darnold for the entirety of 2024.

Sure, Darnold has a ton of talent to work with. But, we're talking about a guy who has completed less than 60 percent of his passes for his career and has thrown 63 touchdowns versus 56 interceptions in his six NFL seasons. That's darn-near one interception thrown for every touchdown toss.

My bet? If Darnold has the Vikings sitting near .500 halfway through the year and continues his near 50/50 split in the touchdown/interception category, we're going to see McCarthy sooner than later. Insiders and coaches can say what they want in June but, based on history, Darnold has already shown us who he is in six years.

From a Bears fan's perspective, the Vikings can feel free and start Darnold all year long. In fact, Chicago hopes to see it.