The Minnesota Vikings have a Sam Darnold problem they seemingly thought wasn’t an issue.
The Minnesota Vikings might have a controversy on their hands. Head coach Kevin O’Connell alluded to the fact that he’s turning his confidence over to J.J. McCarthy and possibly Daniel Jones to be the quarterback next season.
Largely because the Vikings don’t want to foot the bill which could be upwards of $25 million to retain Sam Darnold long term. Also the way he ended the season didn’t give any confidence he can win when it matters. The Vikings selected McCarthy with the No. 10 pick so he was always their future.
While O’Connell and seemingly the rest of the Vikings organization is ready to offload Darnold, there’s one player in particular that has no interest in having a quarterback change; and he might be the most important influence.
Justin Jefferson voiced his opinion surrounding the quarterback conundrum, telling USA Today’s Cydney Henderson he’d love to have Darnold back. He also said the team doesn’t need to make any drastic moves, rather a few to keep the Vikings as a contender.
The Minnesota Vikings have a Sam Darnold problem they seemingly thought wasn’t an issue
It never felt like the Vikings were serious about bringing Darnold back but that could change now that Jefferson is making a point. Jefferson kind of has a point too.
When he came to Minnesota, Kirk Cousins was the guy. The Vikings have since parted ways with him and essentially rented Darnold for a year. It’s not like Darnold played poorly either. Jefferson deserves to have familiarity within the offense.
If he potentially has a third quarterback in as many years, that’s not conducive to being one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Look at all the top receivers now, they’ve had the same quarterback over a period of years.
There’s no telling what McCarthy or Jones would look like with this offense. Yes, it’s nice having a player like Jefferson to throw to, but it doesn’t always mean the wins will follow. Jefferson and this offense knows what they’re getting with Darnold.
Why throw that away for a player that could be worse? Or take a flyer on Jones who could look more like his New York Giants days than what Darnold was able to do in his one revival season. It’s a tricky slope for the Vikings.
One thing is true though, when your star player speaks, you listen. Jefferson has taken a stand that no drastic moves should be made this offseason. So, the Vikings might have to open up the checkbook for Darnold to keep the peace in the locker room.