It’s the portion of the offseason where little happens for NFL franchises. Free agency will soon kick off, and then the NFL Draft will commence. Those things change that reality, but for now it’s a lot of waiting. One thing the Minnesota Vikings have to feel great about is not waiting to see where they’ll turn at quarterback.
The Vikings Got a QB at the Right Time 🔥
Last offseason, the Vikings engaged Kirk Cousins in contract discussions before he ultimately took the Falcons’ ludicrous offer. There was always a belief they would be in the market for a rookie replacement, and that turned out to be J.J. McCarthy.
This time around, there is no need to draft a quarterback, and the Vikings get the benefit of deciding on Sam Darnold’s future as well. Kevin O’Connell proved he and his infrastructure are the difference maker, so there’s not much reason to retain Darnold at a gaudy price. Minnesota has options for filling out the room, but none should be franchise-altering.
Of course, that’s also a great thing, considering the state of the position in free agency and through the draft. McCarthy would likely be the top quarterback prospect in this cycle. Neither Shedeur Sanders nor Cam Ward should be seen as slam dunks. Someone needs to pay for Minnesota’s success in Darnold, or they’ll have to settle on a late-stage veteran like Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers.
Given the amount of cap space the Vikings possess, they certainly could handle taking on a sizable quarterback contract. The fact that they don’t need to and can spread those funds around for positions throughout the roster is the exact situation they had been angling to be in.
For years the Vikings have chased their tail regarding the quarterback position. They only had stability while spending big bucks. They didn’t love free-agent options and couldn’t find a predecessor in the draft.
With how both areas are shaping up for quarterback-needy teams this cycle, Minnesota has to be smiling while sitting on the sidelines.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.