Vikings Have a “Distressed Asset”
Soon, the Minnesota Vikings will embark on a season with relative uncertainty at quarterback for the first time in a decade.
Vikings Have a “Distressed Asset”
Ten years ago, Mike Zimmer had just taken over the team, Matt Cassel was in line to start, and Teddy Bridgewater waited in the wings for the QB1 job. This time, it’s Kevin O’Connell, Sam Darnold, and J.J. McCarthy in a similar situation.
And according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, Minnesota considered Darnold a “distressed asset” when they signed him in March — meaning the club believed Darnold’s struggles in six seasons were a product of his environment, not necessarily a personal indictment.
“I think they think higher off Sam Darnold than a lot of people do. I think the Vikings feel like he is a distressed asset and a guy who wasn’t properly raised in the league and dealt with a lot of rocky waters,” Breer said on the Rich Eisen Show this week. “I guess there’s almost a Geno Smith quality to it, too, where it’s like this guy’s now had a chance to take a minute and learn from his mistakes. I would implore anyone to watch the fourth quarter of the Niners-Ravens Christmas Game.”
Darnold is the odds-on favorite to start on September 8th at the New York Giants, the Vikings’ first game of the regular season. The coaching staff has also hinted that the QB1 gig belongs to Darnold, though the aforementioned McCarthy could, in theory, score a summer upset.
“I remember watching the end of that game, Darnold played about the last ten minutes, and seeing him in that context, with those receivers around him, and those coaches around him, and playing for Kyle Shanahan, I remember thinking to myself, this guy is playing faster,” Breer continued. “This looks like a different player. I talked to Kevin O’Connell about that, and he said he saw the same thing. Sam had a really strong spring, so what does that do to J.J. McCarthy? I think it enables them to be patient when they need to be patient with J.J. McCarthy.”
A resurgent Darnold would be music to Vikings fans’ ears, possibly enabling the club to contend for the NFC North or grab a Wildcard playoff berth. To date, Darnold has never really guided a team toward a playoff push, so 2024 would be a first-of-its-kind endeavor for the 27-year-old.
What’s more, Minnesota has a long history of reclamation quarterbacks. Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, and Case Keenum, for example, can tell you all about it.
Minnesota and its distressed assets begin training camp in 10 days.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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