Questions Answered: Sam Darnold’s Top Option, Best Free Agent Target for Vikings, Trading Up for Jeanty
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the February 21st edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Sam Darnold’s Top Option, Best Free Agent Target for Vikings, Trading Up for Jeanty
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Where’s the best place for Sam Darnold to sign this offseason?
Answer: The Los Angeles Rams if Matthew Stafford leaves.
No one has talked about this Darnold landing spot too much, but if Stafford is traded this offseason — that will probably happen before too long if it happens at all — Darnold transferring to Sean McVay’s offense after a year with Kevin O’Connell would feel seamless.
The Rams would then have the QB1 spot locked down for the next half-decade, and Darnold could fully script his “Baker Mayfield-like” reclamation story.
The only kicker here is Stafford. For this theory to work, Stafford must depart somewhere, maybe a spot like the New York Giants.
Q: Which player should be the Vikings’ top free agent target?
Answer: We’d like to end the Garrett Bradbury era and kick off the J.J. McCarthy years with one of the best centers in football — Drew Dalman.
Dalman is the best center available in free agency, accounting for a 78.8 PFF grade this season. And he’s not like Bradbury, who specializes in run blocking while struggling with pass protection. Dalman does both.
The only drawback? Several teams will pursue Dalman.
We think Dalman is the wisest option because it would be pretty fantastic to start the J.J. McCarthy era at quarterback with one of the league’s best centers.
Q: Any chance the Vikings trade up on draft night for Ashton Jeanty?
Answer: A slim one.
This depends on how far Jeanty falls — if at all — on draft night. For example, if he tumbled past the Dallas Cowboys at No. 12, which doesn’t seem likely, then the realism of a Vikings trade for Jeanty would spike.
It’s generally frowned upon to trade up the draft board for a running back, but Saquon Barkley just proved the value of a dynamic, game-changing RB1. A Super Bowl title occurred.
We’ll say no on the likelihood of Minnesota trading up for Jeanty, but we wouldn’t object if they did.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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