Could This Former First Round QB Sign With The Vikings?
For the first time in six years, the Minnesota Vikings could have a Week One starting quarterback that's not named Kirk Cousins. The 35-year-old is a pending free agent, and it's going to cost a lot to keep him in Minnesota.
With NFL free agency less than two weeks away, there are rumors that the Vikings could be interested in a former first-round draft pick.
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Sam Darnold To Minnesota?
NFL Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo wrote that the Vikings could show interest in Sam Darnold, in the hopes that he could be next season's version of Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield had a fantastic bounce-back in 2023, throwing for a career-high in both yards and touchdowns. He also led the team to a playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this year.
As for Sam Darnold, he was back up to Brock Purdy in San Francisco, seeing only 130 offensive snaps, by far a career low. It would be easy to say Darnold is a bust, but you need to look at the situations he's been put into.
The Jets have been a disaster for a long time, and Darnold struggled right out of the gate because of it. Then he went to the Carolina Panthers, who have been equally bad as an organization.
Darnold does a lot of things right as a quarterback. Kyle Shanahan wouldn't have kept him in San Francisco if that weren't true. But does he really have what it takes to be a solid starter in the NFL? I don't think so.
The Vikings Have A Massive Decision To Make
Vikings fans got a reminder of what life is like in the NFL without a true starting-calibre quarterback after Cousins went down in Week 8 with his Achilles injury. The carousel of Nick Mullens, Josh Dobbs and Jaren Hall left much to be desired. Do we really want to watch a whole season of a fringe starting QB?
Don't forget Kirk Cousins was playing some of his best football before the injury. Yes, I know the record wasn't great, but things were trending upward. Cousins, his teammates, and the coaching staff have all expressed interest in running it back in 2024. However, it's all going to depend on the price tag.
If the cost is too high for Minnesota, I'd prefer they target one of the rookie quarterbacks in the upcoming draft rather than taking a shot at Sam Darnold on the off chance he might have a Baker-Mayfield-type season.
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