He's a Viking for what looks like $10m and it makes perfect sense to me.
UGH. Hate it as a Vikings fan. Better trade up for McCarthy now and just let him take over
I'm a Vikes fan, and I don't hate the move. Darnold is still quite young (26) and at 10 million for just one year it's worth the shot to see if he turns into something. If he doesn't, ideally we'll have drafted a QB and/or we'll have a high pick next year to target a QB.
What I'll hate is trading away three future firsts+ to trade into the top 3. I just think it's two much of an overpay when even high first rounder QBs bust a significant percentage of the time.
I agree that I wouldn't overpay to move up but we know what Darnold is. The price tag for him isn't terrible so nothing really lost and I guess they needed somebody at this point but
I would rather have them trade for Fields and see if O'Connell can get the most out of him over settling for Darnold.
I still think the bold is a possible play before the draft. Fields' stock/price arguably dropped yesterday. If the Vikings can get him for lesser than what the Bears have been asking, and if the Vikings aren't confident they'll get their guy at 11 and the asking price to move up is too steep, then moving on Fields just before the draft could be a shrewd play.
Darnold at 10 million is a high price for a backup but, oddly, if it helped drive down the price for Fields then the Vikings then arguably that somewhat high price tag may offset itself and now the Vikings have a real starter with upside and probably one of the better backups in the league for significantly less than Cousins' cost or the cost to move into the top three picks of the draft.
The question would be, what do you do with Fields' 5th year option if you do trade for him? Are you giving him 25MIL for 2025 before he plays a single snap for your team?
Won't ever have to worry about it, they don't want Fields.
Darnold just spent a year in a fairly similar system. I believe, might even be glaringly obvious, bringing in McCown was intentional with regards to Darnold. They don't have to give any trade comp, not even a day three pick. These things were all factors.
Darnold is still very young and highly pedigreed. And yes he's played poorly but I'd argue no one had to deal with worse situations the first few years in the league as he did on those god awful Jets teams and his brief few games in Carolina. Some QB's have to deal with stuff like that a year or two, I'm talking that long of a duration. And I'll say again he played poorly and might be damaged goods but....
He just got a year of probably the best coaching of his life. I'll add this as well. Purdy was coming off a major surgery, had not shown NFL level durabability and the 49'ers have had a lot of QB injuries since Kyle has been at the helm. Against that landscape, after seeing Darnold in camp for about a month, they decided to trade Lance knowing they were a SB contender and a Purdy injury away from turning the team over to Darnold. Some beat writers for the team were going so far as to say Darnold might take the job because he was throwing it more impressivley in camp, which of course was bogus, just an indicator of how he looks.
So IMO I think the Vikings made a prudent decision to go with Darnold and not pursue someone like Fields and I'd bet you all I got Sean Payton felt the same way and was trying to get Darnold. When Kyle, Sean Payton and KOC feel a certain way about QB's I'm not one to think I know more then them and will give them some benefit of the doubt.
So no worry on Fields, that won't be happening but no doubt they'd like to draft a QB and I had heard last week, I think it was Robert Mays from The Athletic, say he heard they preferred the draft and sit QB approach which would tie in specificlaly to Maye or McCarthy if they can get them and I've no doubt that's their plan to pair with Darnold if they can.
