Vikings’ Biggest Offseason Loss Identified
Change struck the Minnesota Vikings in the last few seasons, as players like Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and Eric Kendricks, among others, were allowed to hit the open market via free agency and depart the organization.
CBS Sports has named the Vikings’ top offseason loss from a national viewpoint.
In return, the Vikings became more financially nimble and younger, no longer slaves to a quarterback’s fat contract. New passer J.J. McCarthy will play affordably in Minnesota for at least the next three seasons.
Still, when an outfit like CBS Sports sized up Minnesota’s top offseason loss, it settled on quarterback Sam Darnold, who arrived in the Twin Cities for a one-year pit-stop in March 2024, guiding the Vikings to 14 regular season wins before vaporizing when it mattered the most in the playoffs.
CBS Sports Names Sam Darnold as Vikings’ Main Offseason Loss
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports identified one crucial loss for each NFL team last week, and for Minnesota, he settled on Darnold.
Dubin defended the choice: “The Vikings, meanwhile, are making the expected move from Darnold to J.J. McCarthy despite the latter coming off a preseason knee injury and the former having had an excellent season before seemingly self-destructing down the stretch as the offensive line crumbled around him.”
“McCarthy has some big shoes to fill based on how the offense performed for most of last season, though.”
A consolation “biggest loss” prize could’ve gone to Camryn Bynum, a starting safety who chose the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.
The Criteria
For context, Dubin described his loss criteria in this way: “We’ve spent a lot of time throughout this offseason highlighting teams’ efforts to reshape their rosters so they’re in a better position to win in 2025 than they were in 2024. Those efforts included coaching changes, front-office changes, free-agent signings, draft picks, trades and more.”
“And it’s always fun to look on the optimistic side of things and concentrate on what’s new, and what could be better. But everyone who arrives with a new team accordingly leaves a hole to be filled where they had been before. Every addition somewhere means that someone has departed from elsewhere.”
The Vikings also lost quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens, along with EDGE rusher Patrick Jones II, offensive tackle Cam Robinson, and tight end Johnny Mundt, to name a few.
“Now that we’re at around the midway point of the offseason, we wanted to take a look backward at every team’s most significant offseason loss, and if/how those who left are being replaced,” Dubin concluded about offseason departures.
Sam Darnold’s Role in Seattle
Darnold will receive an honest-to-goodness audition as the Seahawks’ QB1 this season, with 3rd-Round rookie Jalen Milroe closely nipping at his heels. The Seahawks also signed Drew Lock for backup quarterback duty, so Seattle has more than enough contingency plans if Darnold decides to play the version of himself who stunk in Week 18 and in the postseason last year.
Seattle gave Darnold a deal worth $100.5 million over three years, but the contract is somewhat easy to navigate next offseason if Darnold isn’t revealed as the long-term solution.
The J.J. McCarthy Plan All Along for Vikings
What about the Vikings? Well, it’s the J.J. McCarthy era.
Minnesota unearthed McCarthy, a national champion at Michigan in 2023, from Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, while signing Darnold as a “bridge quarterback” for one season. McCarthy tore his meniscus four months after the draft, clearing the path for Darnold to script his reclamation season in Minnesota.
Now, though, McCarthy is fully healed, and patchover passers aren’t needed. Without Darnold, Jones, or Mullens, McCarthy will take the QB1 scepter into 2025.
Other NFC North Offseason Losses
Here’s what Dubin said about the rest of the NFC North’s offseason losses: “Chicago totally remade its offensive line this offseason, and moving on from Jenkins is part of that. He’ll be replaced at right guard by Jonah Jackson, who is probably the least dependable among the Bears’ offensive line acquisitions given that he was unceremoniously shipped out by the Rams just one year into his major free-agent contract.”
“Detroit losing both of its coordinators in one offseason isn’t unprecedented, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be difficult. Johnson built perhaps the most efficient and explosive offensive machine in the league, and the transition to a new coordinator in John Morton will obviously be an area to watch. Glenn’s aggressive defense crumbled under the weight of injuries last season, but he was a big part of the personality of the team. Kelvin Sheppard is coming in to replace him, and that, along with the returns from injury of so many key pieces, will be of incredible importance to Detroit’s efforts to regain its defensive identity.”
The Lions are expected to win the NFC North — again — with the Packers in second place, and the Vikings + Bears battling to avoid the cellar, according to oddsmakers.
Dubin added, “The Packers are undergoing their seemingly annual offensive line reshuffle, and replacing Myers at center is part of that. It seems likely that Elgton Jenkins will take over at center, which would be another position change for Jenkins, who played mostly at left guard over the last two seasons but previously spent time at right tackle, left tackle and, yes, center.”
Minnesota actually plays Chicago to start the season at Soldier Field — in 89 days.
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