The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2024 NFL season. Minnesota is 9-2 heading into Week 13 and is one game back in the NFC North division standings. They are firmly in the mix to make the playoffs in the NFC. Minnesota will have some interesting decision to make this offseason, including at the QB position.
Vikings QB Sam Darnold was selected as one of the most interesting QBs to watch in the coming offseason, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano. Fowler and Graziano believe that Darnold strong play, plus the presence of first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, could put the Vikings in an awkward position next spring. It’s entirely possible that the Vikings are comfortable letting Darnold walk and transitioning to McCarthy instead.
“Yeah, Darnold is probably pricing himself out of Minnesota, which was all part of the plan,” Fowler wrote. “The Vikings are totally comfortable with Darnold using one season in Minnesota as a springboard to a bigger contract elsewhere.”
Fowler also noted some of the reasons why Darnold could be a hot commodity. He is currently fourth in the NFL with 21 touchdown passes. Darnold is ninth in passing yards with 2,717. Fowler believes that those numbers could justify Darnold earning a mid-tier contract similar to those recently given to Geno Smith or Baker Mayfield.
If that truly is Darnold’s market, the Vikings will almost certainly let him walk instead of getting into a bidding war.
Vikings add QB Daniel Jones after Giants release
The Vikings have to wait until next season to get their first look at J.J. McCarthy because of his season-ending injury. Minnesota recently added a new QB to back up Sam Darnold in the meantime.
The Vikings have signed former Giants QB Daniel Jones, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Jones had several teams vying to sign him. He chose Minnesota because they are a contending team with a QB-friendly system and a coaching staff known for maximizing their players’ potential.
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Savvy Vikings could have seen this signing coming. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell spoke about the possibility of adding Jones on Monday.
“I really can’t get into too much about any short-term or long-term. I can just say that I’ve been a big fan of Daniel’s for a long time and I hope wherever his next step takes him, it’s a good opportunity for him,” O’Connell said, per Adam Schefter.
Now the Vikings have some insurance at the QB position as they prepare to make a deep playoff push in January.
Next up for the Vikings is a Week 13 matchup against the Cardinals.