Fastest TE group ever lead by Sadiq who broke the combine record for fastest 40 by a TE. 4.39 is crazy. Also 43.5 inch vertical. Freak athlete and another round 1 possibility for the Vikings

For the third consecutive year, the Miami Dolphins ranked first in the NFL Players Association annual report cards, according to survey results obtained by ESPN. The Minnesota Vikings finished second, followed by the Washington Commanders in third.

"Players consistently describe the organization as 'the best in the NFL,'" the NFLPA survey wrote about the Dolphins.

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished last for the first time in the four-year history of the union's survey. Last year, the Steelers ranked 28th. The Arizona Cardinals finished 31st in the 2026 survey, after a last-place finish in 2025, and the Cleveland Browns finished in 30th, the same as in 2025.

The NFLPA is not making the report cards public this year after a grievance filed by the NFL, which said the survey violated the collective bargaining agreement. Earlier this month, an arbitrator agreed with the league, saying the report cards violated the CBA by "disparaging NFL clubs and individuals." The NFLPA said it would continue to collect responses for report cards even if it can't publish them.

Entire story is at ESPN.com

I love this guy's delivery. Decidedly NSFW, but funny as hell. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/j2Ok07pXhqE?s...0pcyeSZLs9

Surprising cut by the Commanders. 28 years old, 6'4", 325 lbs. Wouldn't break the bank, could compete with Brandel. Nice vet presence that Jayden Daniels said helped him tremendously in his growth.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vi.../601589059

Jim Souhan
@SouhanStrib

1h
Souhan: "J.J. McCarthy doesn’t need competition. He needs to be the Vikings’ top priority"

This is a few years old, but I doubt it's changed much, if at all. Picking 18th, we're looking at a 60% chance of hitting. Our pick in the 2nd round (49), has about a 36% chance of hitting. It's a crapshoot and luck plays a big part. 

   

https://frontofficesports.com/nfl-is-lin...f-america/

There’s nothing bigger on U.S. television than the NFL, but keeping those rights presents a range of challenges for the incumbent linear rights holders.

“NFL-related content at this point is the key linchpin holding the linear cable bundle together, a massive driver of linear advertising dollars, retransmission fees, and even more recently, direct-to-consumer sign-ups. This market paradigm has not gone unnoticed by the NFL,” Bank of America analysts wrote in a research note released Wednesday. “In short, it is hard to paint a positive outcome from the traditional media ecosystem perspective.”

What are people's thoughts on Davis Mills?
Wouldn't take much IMO. 27, strong build, five years in the league, 63% completion percentage.

All perspective appreciated, but I'd like this option over most others, given what it would take for Mac Jones, or trotting Kyler out there

What would it take?

I saw something on social media this morning about the death of Fran Tarkenton....at 86 years old. 
I googled it and found a website post of the same thing.
After only a bit of further exploration, there was nothing.

This kind of click bait just pisses me off.

On the plus side, as I was writing this post, I thought of a number of different double entendres about Fran's last pass, Tark passes over the rainbow and many other unserious headlines.  

I'm glad to have been able to have seen him play in purple in my life.

Big concerns have bubbled to the surface with JJM on these two in particular:

1). Durability
2). His inability to execute key middle of the field concepts of the offense that Jettas and KOC love

Both of these have to improve considerably, or he wont be the starter here.

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Vikings enter their offseason in search of a “baseline” level of quarterback play that’s higher than what they had in 2025. J.J. McCarthy, coach Kevin O’Connell said on Tuesday, Feb. 24, is still capable of meeting that standard.

But as the Vikings began their offseason in earnest at the NFL scouting combine, they indicated they had no interest in limiting their options to fill their most pressing need.

Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski said Tuesday the Vikings are “exploring all possibilities” at quarterback, including even an established player who would join the team as the unquestioned starter.

“What we do know is we need a level of baseline quarterback play for us to be effective,” Brzezinski said. “A lot of this is, has been J.J. in an unfortunate [situation] with some of the injuries and things that he’s dealt with. But we’re going to explore every opportunity. We can’t manufacture what’s not there. So, number one, where are the options? Is it reciprocal? Is it financially doable? All of those things. There’s just a lot of factors that go into it."

Brzezinski, who’s leading the Vikings front office this offseason after the team fired General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Jan. 30, said some of the criticism of McCarthy — who missed seven games because of injury in his first year as the starter while throwing 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions — has been unfair.

When asked if he still believes McCarthy can be a franchise quarterback, O’Connell said, “I believe the answer to that question is ‘yes,’” referencing the comments he’d first made about McCarthy’s potential after the QB tore his meniscus in 2024.

But even though “a lot of those feelings [about McCarthy] are still the same,” O’Connell acknowledged the Vikings’ timeline has changed. 

The team spent more cash than any club in the NFL in 2025 to surround McCarthy with a veteran roster; a veteran roster means the Vikings seem less inclined to display unlimited patience with the 23-year-old. “We have a responsibility, as we put together this team, to make sure we use the data we have and the experiences we have, with feelings that we’ve had at different times as an organization, regardless what may have been the assumption of going in,” O’Connell said.

As both O’Connell and Brzezinski discussed the standard for the Vikings at quarterback, they highlighted the need for durability. When the Vikings had a consistent starter (Kirk Cousins in 2022 and Sam Darnold in 2024), they won a combined 27 games, O’Connell pointed out. In the two seasons in which they’ve missed the playoffs under O’Connell, they used a combined seven starting QBs.

For McCarthy to claim the job again in 2026, he’ll have to show he can stay on the field after missing time with a high ankle sprain, a concussion and multiple hand injuries in 2025. He’ll also have to improve his accuracy, particularly on the concepts the Vikings like to run over the middle of the field, and demonstrate sound decision-making that helps the offense sustain drives.

The Vikings could try to coax that improvement out of him in a more open QB competition than they had in 2025; O’Connell pointed out how well McCarthy responded in his rookie training camp while practicing with Darnold in 2024.

They could also take a bigger swing, possibly through a trade, for an established starter who would change their future at quarterback. Such a maneuver would come at a cost, especially for a team that needs to clear roughly $40 million in cap space before free agency begins in less than two weeks.

But on Tuesday, the Vikings seemed open to any solution that would turn the game’s most important position into an asset again.

“We have a couple of weeks, and so we’re just exploring every option that could be out there,” Brzezinski said. “We’re casting a wide net.”

Strib