Pelissero: Most Logical is Darnold Staying in Minn

I understand you get upset when anyone talks about the possibility of sitting JJ another year. I get it, he's your boy. I just think it's fascinating that every time I read a take on the subject in the media, it's a different, opposite opinion. And it's not like smart people on one side and idiots on the other either. There's a good mix on both sides. I thought that was worth exploring. 

I think I outlined each option as I see them fairly and objectively, with the the positives and negatives of each. I didn't even take a position. But clearly I've hurt your feelings, and for that I apologize.

Its not about being upset, its more about a completely unrealistic scenario which is what you laid out in your first point. lol, you didn't hurt my feelings. But if you want to disregard my point because you think I'm JJ fanboying, I can't stop you. I was on the Darnold train for quite awhile, until the inevitable happened. The point again is: if Minnesota resigned him to a 2 year contract, he played so well that teams would give up SO much comp, why would the Viking's trade him? Not sure anyone on the board fell harder in love with Uncle Sammy than you, sir. The heart wants what it wants. ;)

MAD GAINZ wrote:
Darnold will have a market in FA, too many teams with a need at QB and he's the best option in terms of recent production and age.

He's going to get a big enough offer in terms of money and term that the Vikings won't want to match because they want to get JJM on the field sooner rather than later.

I think Sam and his agent know that too.  Maybe there is a way for the Vikings to work with him on a tag and trade since they rehabilitated his image and earned him some money.  Something like the Vikings would accept fair trade compensation (not hold out for a major deal) and agree to deal him to the team of his choice.

I think that is the more likely option than getting him back on a short term deal.

If the Vikings want a QB to compete with JJ McCarthy, Daniel Jones makes more sense since we can probably get him on a 1-yr deal with assurances he would get a fair shot to compete to be the starter.  If we franchise Darnold, you aren't paying him 41 million to be a backup.

I dont really understand the bolded part,  unless you are suggesting he would do it as a favor to the franchise,  but why would he not just enter FA,  sign with the team of his choosing, and do so while not costing his future club valuable draft picks?

You're reeling. The Vikings would trade him because they can get a LOT in return if he comes back and plays well, dismissing the fears that suggest it was a one-year fluke. The Vikings would trade him because they already have their QBOTF in JJM. 

If Darnold comes back and puts together another season like 2024, with him fully under contract and at only 28 years old, his value skyrockets. Russell Wilson was in his middle 30s and coming off a down year, when he was traded for two 1sts and two 2nds. DeSean Watson had major legal issues when he was traded for three 1sts, two 4ths and a 3rd. If the Vikings truly are considering an extension for Sam, it's about this and only this.

That said, I think the likelihood of extending Sam are around 15-20%.

Not sure what 'you're reeling' means, but again my point: why would a team, who was inclined to resign a guy that outperformed his bridge QB status, to a 2-year contract and then he AGAIN performed extremely well in the follow-up year ever considering trading the guy for an unknown quantity like McCarthy. You've moved from the anomaly of one good season to now hey he's backed that up with another great season, maybe we should see this as the trend and hold onto this dude. That's of course how Minnesota would view it. The QB examples you give are cautionary tales....along with the Kirk Cousins by Atlanta and Aaron Rodgers by the Jets. You act like there's no risk for the next team that signs Darnold, of course there will be.

My point isn't Darnold isn't worthy of signing elsewhere for decent money or even that he may resign in Minnesota: my point is if he did resign with the Vikings, it wouldn't be to trade him halfway through a 2-deal for picks if he rocked it. They'd be idiots, IMO.

I think a tag and trade kind of requires all parties to end up happy, or at least partially happy. Whatever team would trade for him is going to need a semi-long term contract to make it make sense. No one is trading much to the Vikings for one year $35M Darnold. Darnold isn't signing with a team he hates. Vikings have to get enough trade value, although of the 3 of them, I think the Vikings care least how much they get, although it has to be at least a 3rd.

I think the only way it really happens is if the Vikings let Darnold go out and find another team, and they probably have to be willing to have him come back under the tag if it all doesn't work out.

Will Ragatz
@WillRagatz
A very Sam Darnold quote on his future, courtesy of SiriusXM NFL Radio:

“Yeah, I've put a little bit of thought into it. I'm not gonna share anything about kind of what I've been thinking or obviously the conversations I've had behind closed doors. But there's obviously a lot that's gotta happen still even after the Super Bowl. So just gonna continue to talk to my agent and figure things out from there.”

Darnold holding onto the ball for 3+ seconds on every throw is a big problem. He really got exposed against the Lions and Rams with this and while upgrading the interior line would help, you are then talking $40+ million for Darnold plus the cost of upgrading the line. I really think they are better off taking their chances with McCarthy and using the money saved to improve the rest of the roster.

I am somewhat sympathetic to the argument that McCarthy missing his entire rookie year without being able to practice is somewhat of an unprecedented situation. In that case, you could make the argument to franchise Darnold for a year, but honestly, in that situation I would rather take my chances with Jones or another cheaper veteran QB and trust that O'Connell can create a favorable situation for them.

JimmyinSD wrote:

I dont really understand the bolded part,  unless you are suggesting he would do it as a favor to the franchise,  but why would he not just enter FA,  sign with the team of his choosing, and do so while not costing his future club valuable draft picks?

There is a line of thinking that suggests working with the Vikings could benefit him by having the tag applied and putting that 41 million dollar value on him to start negotiations with other teams. Versus just going out to see what the market looks like and finding out it's more like 25-30 million a year.

It really all hinges on him and his agent being willing to try that route and work with the Vikings, to potentially create a win-win for the team (getting some compensation from another team) and Sam (getting max value on what is clearly the biggest chance to get paid he will ever see in his lifetime).

Whether it's actually feasible to make that all work, I have no idea. The more teams that are interested in Sam the more likely it is that it could possibly work. Worst case, they just let him go and get a comp pick back in 2026.

comet52 wrote:

There is a line of thinking that suggests working with the Vikings could benefit him by having the tag applied and putting that 41 million dollar value on him to start negotiations with other teams.  Versus just going out to see what the market looks like and finding out it's more like 25-30 million a year. 

It really all hinges on him and his agent being willing to try that route and work with the Vikings, to potentially create a win-win for the team (getting some compensation from another team) and Sam (getting max value on what is clearly the biggest chance to get paid he will ever see in his lifetime).

Whether it's actually feasible to make that all work, I have no idea.  The more teams that are interested in Sam the more likely it is that it could possibly work.  Worst case, they just let him go and get a comp pick back in 2026.

If his market is 25-30 million i really dont see any team stepping up and offering draft picks,  plus taking on 10-15 million more on top of that.  The only way I could see this is if some team coveted him so much that they would want a year of exclusive rights to get a deal done that his agent may be resistant to at this time.

StickierBuns wrote:
So in watching Darnold's demeanor in interviews since the end of the season, he's in a pretty good mood. He had fun at the Pro Bowl. I think he knows he's about to get paid and I don't think he cares that much about leaving Minnesota to get it. I don't blame him at all, its a short window for NFL players to make money. Get the bag. He'll probably sign a 3-year contract with someone for mostly guaranteed money and he's set....not that he isn't now, he's made $65 million to this point. But you get what I'm saying.

Rare is the player that doesn't go for the bag when they are a free agent.

He would be an absolute idiot if he didnt...Thats going to change the course for him, his kids, his kids kids...

I think any more swirl on Sam isnt worth it as a Vike fan. At this point I am more interested in how JJM is looking, does Dimes want to stay and compete? Can we get any capital for Sam outside of a 26 comp pick?

I think these guys are well aware that nothing in the NFL is guaranteed except what’s actually guaranteed. He could take $40M for one year with us, hoping to get an even bigger bag, and blow his knee out and be done forever, and he’d be like $80M.

Like people are railing on Cousins for taking an extra year or two of $40M, rather than taking a hometown discount, but if you’re trying to raise up those around you, you can do a lot of good with an extra $80M.

So in watching Darnold's demeanor in interviews since the end of the season, he's in a pretty good mood. He had fun at the Pro Bowl. I think he knows he's about to get paid and I don't think he cares that much about leaving Minnesota to get it. I don't blame him at all, its a short window for NFL players to make money. Get the bag. He'll probably sign a 3-year contract with someone for mostly guaranteed money and he's set....not that he isn't now, he's made $65 million to this point. But you get what I'm saying.

Rare is the player that doesn't go for the bag when they are a free agent.

StickierBuns wrote:
Latest from the Rich Eisen show:

The Purple Persuasion
@TPPSkol
J.J. McCarthy is “ahead of schedule” and “able to do just about everything now”, per  @AlbertBreer,
The @Vikings are also comfortable with him as the starting QB in 2025"

“He’s ahead of schedule. He’s able to do just about everything now… he’s going to have a full offseason. So he’s not going to be limited by anything this offseason… they’d be comfortable with him as the starting QB in 2025.”

Which is what everyone expected after the injury. A couple month recovery period and he'd be ready to rock for the off-season program.

StickierBuns wrote:
Latest from the Rich Eisen show:

The Purple Persuasion
@TPPSkol
J.J. McCarthy is “ahead of schedule” and “able to do just about everything now”, per  @AlbertBreer,
The @Vikings are also comfortable with him as the starting QB in 2025"

“He’s ahead of schedule. He’s able to do just about everything now… he’s going to have a full offseason. So he’s not going to be limited by anything this offseason… they’d be comfortable with him as the starting QB in 2025.”

I'm overwhelmingly fine with going with JJM with Daniel Jones as your #1 backup going into the season.

Waterboy wrote:

I'm overwhelmingly fine with going with JJM with Daniel Jones as your #1 backup going into the season.

I believe this is how the Vikings feel as well. New contact, let's tie the new QB starting right along with it.

StickierBuns wrote:

My strong guess is they've always felt this way since they surprisingly had a competition for starting QB in the preseason before JJM's injury. The rest of it has been white noise generated and created by the 24/7 sports media machine. Making up their own news and then responding to that news is how they maintain their jobs. Young fans will pick it up and run with it as always. 'Ahead of schedule' is something I've heard about McCarthy his whole career, get used to it. 

It was a meniscus tear. Not an ACL or Achilles injury. The Vikings love McCarthy. Darnold was always a one and done QB for Minnesota. The only real question is how will JJ perform. I'll surmise 'ahead of schedule'.

Not only did they have a competition, JJ was "ahead of schedule" as well with the competition. If JJ was healthy, we would have seen him start the week after the Jaguars game. The JJ era would have begun.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Dimes now. He and JJ in the QB room would be ideal for 2025. McCarthy could really benefit from his experience and perspectives.

StickierBuns wrote:

Some team might make Dimes a deal he can't turn down, but yeah ideally he'd be great as the backup. There might be some other vet options out there as well late this summer that could fit the bill.

Jimmy G would make sense as an option.

pattersaur wrote:

Jimmy G would make sense as an option.

That would...Dimes knows the system, the staff and the bldg. For those reasons (and his experience) he would be my #1 choice. 

But yah, there are certainly choices that'll arise if he decides to leave. 

March is going to be a fascinating month in Viking land. Likely to be more entertaining than the draft.

Canthony wrote:

Not only did they have a competition, JJ was "ahead of schedule" as well with the competition. If JJ was healthy, we would have seen him start the week after the Jaguars game. The JJ era would have begun.

No, that absolutely would not have happened. KOC isn't the kind of coach who benches his QB after one bad game. 

After everything he said in the offseason about the danger of throwing QBs into the fire before they're fully prepared, and given his comments about teams with "dirty hands," and given the fact that the Vikings were 8-2 at the time, and given the fact that Darnold was among the league leaders in damn near every category and frequently mentioned in the MVP conversation, no, there's not a chance in hell he would've put JJ in at that point.

StickierBuns wrote:
#Vikings QB JJ McCarthy said he “feels fantastic” and “couldn’t be in a better spot mentally, physically and spiritually.”

McCarthy said it’s “fair to say” that he’s ahead of schedule.
@RichEisenShow

I hope so...

Cause Sunday about 10:00 pm CST, all eyes in Viking land turn to JJM and his progress...