ratoppenheimer
Posts: 9624
Joined: 12/9/2007
From: cascais, portugal...still in exile
Status: online
|
.
From the Athletic in the NY times....
Here’s how insiders would solve the Darnold dilemma.
“Sam Darnold will be a Viking next year unless he bombs in the playoffs,” read the text from a veteran NFL player agent.
This impromptu conversation quickly grew as the Vikings notched their eighth consecutive victory, 27-24, in running their record to an improbable 13-2.
This is a round table discussion between six NFL insiders - agents, executives, and coaches handicapping where the biggest surprise story of the season goes from here.
1. The Vikings aren’t just the most surprising team this season. They’re among the most surprising teams of the past 36 seasons. That will have implications for their QB (and their head coach).
The Vikings have already exceeded their Vegas preseason win total (6.5) by 6.5. That is tied for the second-best differential among 1,711 teams through 15 games since 1989.
Against that backdrop, we pick up the conversation with league insiders.
Exec No. 1: “This season has proved Sam needs Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, (T.J.) Hockenson, one of the grittiest offensive lines and a top back in Aaron Jones. If you are Minnesota, you wave goodbye to Sam, wish him luck and hope he signs for $50 million with some team that thinks they are a quarterback away, but doesn’t have all those things Minnesota has. You get the premium comp pick, you found your next Sam Darnold in Daniel Jones and you already have your draft pick (McCarthy) ready to go. That is what a smart organization does.”
Exec No. 2: “I agree, except for the Daniel Jones piece. Jones isn’t a real option.”
Exec No. 3: “What if they just franchise-tagged Darnold, which then keeps McCarthy in play for the future?”
Agent: “They can afford that. What they can’t afford is turning it over to a rookie coming off a season-ending injury. The only Darnold caveat at this point is the playoffs.”
Could there be a compromise solution?
The 2011 49ers (7.5 preseason Vegas win total) went 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship Game with a reborn Alex Smith behind center. They had used a 2011 second-round pick on Colin Kaepernick but were in no rush to play him. Smith, then 27, had bonded with new coach Jim Harbaugh after struggling under different coaches for years. He wanted to stay, but the 49ers weren’t interested in a market-setting extension.
San Francisco let Smith test the market at a time when Peyton Manning was the most coveted free agent in years (and Harbaugh met with Manning covertly before the QB signed with Denver). Smith didn’t find what he was looking for elsewhere. He re-signed with the 49ers on a deal with the No. 20 annual average among quarterbacks, got hurt midway through the next season, watched Kaepernick start in the Super Bowl and was soon traded to Kansas City.
Exec No. 2: “To get a compromise deal from Darnold, the Vikings have to be willing to let him hit the market.”
Agent: “That’s the last thing Minnesota should do. Too many teams need QBs.”
Exec No. 2: “It’s really not that scary. Some teams are picking high and will draft QBs. Some won’t be able to afford it. Tennessee could be interesting.”
Coach: “If I’m Darnold and the Vikings move on from me, whatever Brock Purdy wants from the 49ers, I want less. If he says to San Francisco, ‘I’ll be your starting quarterback for $15 million a year or whatever and Brock Purdy is asking for $45 million, how does San Francisco sit there and say Brock Purdy is the guy they are going with?”
Exec No. 2: “What is the difference between Darnold and Baker Mayfield? That should be instructive for his market.”
Mayfield re-signed with Tampa Bay for $33 million per year, which ranks 18th among quarterback averages. He knew the Buccaneers did not have his replacement lined up. He knew Tampa Bay was interested in re-signing him. Darnold’s market could suffer if the Vikings like McCarthy enough to move forward with the Michigan product, which was always their plan anyway.
There are other fascinating implications for this breakout Vikings season. Coach Kevin O’Connell has no contract beyond the 2025 season. His star is growing with every successful start from Darnold. He’ll likely drive whatever quarterback decision the Vikings make. He only figures to gain influence within the organization if he continues to stack the victories. He’s already the first coach in Vikings history with two 13-win seasons.
_____________________________
the journey...is paradise.
|
Printable Version
RE: General Vikes Talk - 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread