EAGAN, Minn. — Quarterback is the most important position on an NFL team's roster.

The Vikings built a deep room during 2024 that included three first-round picks (two of which are scheduled to become free agents).

Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, respectively, each was asked about Minnesota's QB situation during Thursday press conferences with Twin Cities media members.

Adofo-Mensah called it the "golden question."

Let's do a quick recap, shall we?

The Vikings returned veteran QB Nick Mullens for his third season with Minnesota. They signed free agent Sam Darnold in March to a one-year deal, then in April drafted Michigan star J.J. McCarthy 10^th overall. Brett Rypien joined Minnesota's 53-man roster before the season and finished on the practice squad. He led the scout team, and recently signed a futures contract for 2025. And last but not least, the Vikings signed former Giants 2019 first-round draft pick Daniel Jones to the practice squad in late November and promoted him to the active roster on Jan. 7.

Darnold and McCarthy both impressed during training camp, with Darnold taking the majority of first-team reps. McCarthy garnered positive attention following his performance in the Vikings preseason game against Las Vegas, but it shortly thereafter was discovered he'd torn his meniscus and would miss the 2024 season.

The rest, you know: Darnold exceeded most external expectations throughout the season, helping lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record. He struggled in the team's regular-season finale at Detroit and in Monday's Wild Card playoff game, in which the Vikings fell 27-9 to the Rams.

So then, what next?

Will the Vikings look to retain Darnold? Will they pivot and make McCarthy the Day 1 starter? Will they re-sign Jones and/or Mullens?

All questions will be answered, but in due time.

"As Sam was playing great, as J.J. had started out his career playing great, making moves for Daniel Jones, you know, you're talking about the most important position in our sport. And I don't think it's a bad thing to assemble a lot of talented players in that room who fit your vision, fit how you want to play football, fit from a personal standpoint, what you want to do," Adofo-Mensah said. "I think that was the mindset we came in with. We got to see Sam play some incredible football for us. Won a lot of big games — at Seattle, at Lambeau. The production that he was able to [have], talking about games where he won for us, there were a lot of games where he was a 'win because of' type player.

"I don't want to give you the stock answer, but it really is, everything we do is about, 'OK, what's the team around him going to look like? [How] does this piece fit into our whole championship equation?' And we'll do those exercises like we did last offseason and came up with the plan we came up with," Adofo-Mensah continued. "We'll have those conversations with Kevin, my staff, everybody in this building, to come [alongside] — because at the end of the day, you're making decisions under uncertainty. But what happens is, once you find a course of action, it's about how you implement your plan, how you show up every day and get the best version of whoever you decide to go with at quarterback.

"How does that fit into your long-term picture? The [contract picture]? All those different things will go into our plan," he added. "I'm excited to have those conversations, because I think we've got a lot of good options. And at the most important position in the sport, I think that's a great thing."

O'Connell shared similar sentiments about keeping options open at this point in the NFL calendar.

When a reporter referenced an August press conference during which O'Connell called McCarthy — after undergoing surgery — "our young franchise quarterback," O'Connell did clarify his statement wasn't tied to a guaranteed start date.

"It was to make sure that everybody knew my perspective on what we had added via a first-round draft pick to our organization, which was a guy we all believe in his future," he explained. "We all believe he had already done some things to confirm a lot of the special aspects of what J.J. McCarthy had been as a player … at the collegiate level, but then also in a very short amount of time what we had deemed to be — he was absolutely on the right track."

He also reminded that he'd expressed confidence in Darnold time and time again during that same timeframe.

"I do remember saying that Sam was having a great training camp and doing a lot of the things that we hoped he would do on his individualized approach to being at his best and playing the best football of his career," O'Connell said.

Adofo-Mensah reiterated confidence in Darnold from the jump, regardless of what outside critics may have said.

"Did I know he was going to be a Pro Bowler? I'm not going to sit here and tell you that, [but] there was some part of us that all believed Sam was going to have a really good season, so when we made that move, that was part of the calculus," Adofo-Mensah said.

He and O'Connell noted they'll be evaluating Darnold's body of work rather than judging the final two outings on an island.

It's important to recognize that it wasn't only Darnold who struggled in the Vikings back-to-back losses to the Lions and Rams in Week 18 and the Wild Card Weekend (eerily déjà vu to Weeks 7 and 8), O'Connell reminded, as other players and coaches also hit snags in the critical games.

"I think Sam should be very proud about the season he put together from start to finish," O'Connell said. "He answered the bell day in and day out with his preparation. And really, I think he learned a lot about what he can be in this league."

And while McCarthy wasn't able to participate in on-field drills during his first year in the NFL, he remained engaged throughout the entirety of the "redshirt" season and soaked in all he could.

Adofo-Mensah confirmed the almost-22-year-old is now "throwing and training" on the field.

"He looks great. He's excited," he said of McCarthy. "Talk about a kid who's just obsessed with football, loves being around the game. We're excited about what we have in him. We're excited for this offseason with him, it's a big offseason, and then we'll continue from there.

"We're really confident in him, his work ethic and his preparation," Adofo-Mensah said. "But I can't sit here and tell you I know anything for certain. I know that I'm willing to believe in the person that we have. That position is about talent and preparation. He's got those things in spades. So if that's the course of action we decide, we'll go there confidently."

Everyone loves options, and Minnesota has several of them.

O'Connell called the 2024 Vikings quarterbacks room, which currently remains unchanged, a "very strong" position group.

"At one point in time, I remember walking in there and seeing five quarterbacks sitting in that room, all with the ability, in my opinion, to win games. All with the ability to play the position at a pretty darn high level, all at different times and points of their journey as quarterbacks in this league," O'Connell said. "So I think it's just a remarkable thing to have all those guys in the room — and how we build forward and how we put things together as we move into the future will be based upon what gives us the best chance to win, what gives us the best chance to put the best version of the Minnesota Vikings football team on the field.

"I think it's way too early in that process to really identify exactly what that looks like," he added. "But we're going to go through every layer of it and we're going to clearly decide that path that that helps us move forward to win games."