NFL - NEWS & NOTES

My view of Darnold hasn't changed dramatically tbh Will, its not too hard to figure out imo. Darnold is not as great as plenty of this season's game specific numbers suggested(1 game i described as one of the least impressive 100+ passer ratings id ever seen), but he's not as bad as this last game suggests either. Its in between them. I think he took a legit step forward this year and showed you can win with him.... in the right Offense.

A much bigger question is could you win it all with him and i have serious doubts about that in today's league. I see so much later years Geno in Darnold(thats a neutral statement). Personally i have Purdy in this kind of category, allbeit superior to both, and he couldn't win a SB even on a better roster than both those two.

It is a very tricky situation the Vikes GM finds himself in. It must be hard to look at the Falcons handing over the reins(pretty successfully) to Pennix and not wonder what if.....

 

How about an improper answer heh? You must've seen enough ball to give a broad stroke. We're not talking a '24 rookie class here are we. I mean will there even be 3 QBs in the 1st round? That alone speaks to the supply demand side of things which has implications for say a Darnold.

 

I've been on a 7 day a week work schedule since the middle of summer, so I just haven't had the time to look at much college ball.

I'm just sitting on the phone now waiting for my morning appointment to show up so I can get my day started...

 

And that, in my opinion is the tricky part. Its hard to set the standard or even have a legitimate 'gauge' when so many other variables are in play. You mentioned the o-line ineptitude... there's that, and the lack of a run-game was also a contributing factor. Aaron Jones was it, Ekler and Chandler were AWOL. So, its not all on Darnold, which would be a very different story if the Vikings had a highly graded o-line, then you might be able to point a finger or two at the QB.

Personally, Darnold exceeded my expectations when you look at the 'whole picture', he won 14 games, when before the season a lot of people were thinking 6 to 8. Winning the 1 score close ones or just winning 'ugly' would have worked for me, but the last 2 games tainted the 'over-all pic' in a lot of minds and that maybe an unfair assessment.

Anyway, I enjoyed the ride till it got derailed. Now we start over and have high-hopes next Spring (like always for me).

 

Me too always have the high hopes

 

The Vikings better not tag Sam Darnold he reminds me of Capt Kirk it just time to move on and do some SERIOUS work on the O-line will JJ McCarthy will he be a bust don't know all i do know it's time to move on

 

Ravens are now favoured. I wonder what the Bills locker room thinks about that, suddenly being home dogs.

 

Honestly it feels like the likely option.

 

We could see the transition tag in play.

 

We definitely could. The question is if they want to use the transition tag then would they just rather let him go outright because that means they are fine to go JJ or whoever and they want the money anyways. Using the transition tag signals weakness in their confidence in any QB.

 

That's an interesting take, but could you elaborate on it?

I'm seeing it from a different angle so I'm curious how you derived this line of thought.

 

I was about to edit it in terms of it actually being a non-exclusive Franchise tag to get compensation. As far as transition tag goes that would be a mistake. Someone IMO WILL offer him more then the franchise tag amount even for 1 or two years of the Vikings throw the transition tag on him and the Vikings would see him go for only about $4M difference which at those values and for the amount of cap and stakes the Vikings have available, is peanuts.

IMO they either tag him outright, extend him, let him go, or dangle the Non-exclusive tag to try and get some compensation. But as I said the last one signals weakness in the organization and for incoming FAs.

 

They could go the non-exclusive route, but no one is going to give up a pair of firsts for Sam, so there would be no negotiating from other teams.

They could go with the exclusive tag, which would cost more, and simply avoid the situation altogether.

Or they could go with the transition at the lower rate, let other teams negotiate a potential deal and decide whether or not it works for them financially.

It all depends on how they value Darnold in that locker room and what they expect to see in 2025. Ultimately, they moved on from Kirk but got the same results. There's going to need to be some questions answered on where blame should rightly be placed, but this coaching staff is getting far too much of a pass for, what I believe, is the sparkle of stats and regular season victories over getting it done when the pressure is on.

It's kind of like the Tomlin/Steelers thing. Didn't have another losing season? Cool, I guess...

The transition tag would remove them from the negotiating process and give Sam the opportunity to see just what kind of market he can generate before signing with the Vikings, if that is what the team wants.

The non-exclusive or exclusive tag makes sense if you want to redshirt your 2024 first round pick for another season and, coming off the injury, I could understand that. But if you are considering putting JJ on the field in '25, the lower rate of the transition tag is going to be a pretty tempting option.

As for signaling weakness - I'm not seeing that. If anything, it would be a declaration of the confidence they have that regardless of how the situation turns out with Sam, the Vikings believe they are good to go. I don't think potential free agents are going to make decisions on signing with Minny based on whether or not Sam is guaranteed to be behind center. Also, giving Sam the opportunity to test his market is not something that the player or others in the locker room are going to see as a negative for Darnold.

 

IMO the transition tag could lead to an awkward offseason if a team sends an offer, regardless of what the Vikings do.

 

I get that.

I just see it as a smart option for the front office if they are not sold on Sam.

The exclusive/non-exclusive tag will come in at about $41mil.

The transition tag is going to come in at about $35mil.

It all comes back to how they feel about Darnold. If they want to sign him to a multiyear deal, letting him negotiate with other teams works only if he is looking for a deal they are not inclined to agree to. If they place the transition tag on him and he finds a deal that is above what they are willing to sign him for, then no big deal.

It's a simple protection for the team to have the right to still sign him if it works for them financially.

As for his market - Where do you see it? Specifically, the teams that may be involved...

 

We could see the Raiders or Titans or maybe the Giants even if the Giants draft someone, like the Falcons. Maybe the Steelers get crazy . Also the non exclusive cap is a bit lower than the exclusive but I forget the exact details.

 

It's the difference between current and past 5 years when it comes to figuring out the average/percentage increase, but the difference is going to be nominal and the non-exclusive really doesn't factor much into the equation, based on the idea of no one willing to part with a pair of firsts for Sam.

Would I be correct in assuming you agree with that last part?

 

I would normally but GMs are stupid. The point is if the Vikings want him the transition might have them lose him but they would be willing to get the slightest of discounts daring someone to give them 2 primo picks.

 

I can't see any scenario where a team that is trying to change the direction of their franchise would be willing to give up two picks for one positive season of Sam that ended on a low note.

However, yes, there are some GMs out there that would probably get fired as a Sunoco manager...

I think the Giants would be the only team willing to offer the kind of deal that would be something the Vikings would hesitate to match, which should be enough for them to be good with Darnold "transitioning" (see what I did there?) to New York.

They could sign Sam on a 3-year deal, move down in the draft a few picks (Carolina?), add a second and a 4th this year and at least a second next, still get a quality offensive lineman and draft a player like Dart or Ewers to have behind Darnold.

As for Minny - They would get McCarthy on the field and probably sign a couple vets to back him up. By the end of his rookie deal they will know if they got it right or fucked it up and need to draft another passer. Signing a pair of guys like Josh Dobbs and Trey Lance would make sense. One competent and one speculative to work behind Redick. If JJ succeeds and Lance looks serviceable, sign Trey to a two-year deal in 2026 and that would get them through the 2027 year where they would likely get McCarthy signed to his first multiyear deal.

 

I wasn't saying someone would. I'm saying the Vikings could place that tag if they want to keep him and not risk a transition match. They'd save a bit compared to the full tag and if they post out they still win with picks while moving on to JJ or whoever.