Purple Rumor Mill: Matthew Stafford in Purple, the Cris Carter QB Endorsement, Daniel Jones
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the February 23rd edition.
Vikings Rumors: Matthew Stafford in Purple, the Cris Carter QB Endorsement, Daniel Jones
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the second batch of the week. Yesterday’s can be read here.
Rumor: Oddsmakers believe Matthew Stafford will end up with Minnesota in 2025.
The Vikings lead the way, per sportsbooks, to somehow land Matthew Stafford this offseason, as the veteran passer could be available via trade. The Draft Network’s Jaime Eisner posted Stafford’s next-team odds this week:
- Vikings (+300)
- Giants (+400)
- Raiders (+500)
- Colts (+600)
- Jets (+800)
- Steelers (+900)
- Jaguars (10/1)
- Cowboys (12/1)
- Saints (12/1)
- Browns (18/1)
- Titans (20/1)
- 49ers (25/1)
- Seahawks (33/1)
- Lions (50/1)
How did we get here? Why is Stafford in the trade rumor mill? The short answer is his wife. Kelly Stafford got in front of a microphone two weeks ago and seemed to endorse a Stafford trade out of Los Angeles, irked by Los Angeles’ plans to trade Cooper Kupp this offseason.
This one probably won’t come to fruition because Minnesota has J.J. McCarthy on the roster, but it’s quite fascinating that Vegas believes Minnesota is the top Stafford landing spot.
Rumor: Cris Carter formally endorses a Sam Darnold sequel in the Twin Cities.
If the decision landed on Cris Carter’s doorstep, he’d retain Sam Darnold at quarterback next season, who is fresh off a career-reclaiming season in 2024. “When you have quarterbacks that play well in your system like Sam Darnold did, I would not let him go in free agency. I would franchise him, and then let him and J.J. have a competition come the fall,” Carter told Kay Adams on The Up and Adams Show this week.
Re-signing Darnold would be fine and dandy for Minnesota — per Carter’s recommendation — if his market value hadn’t climbed so much in the last year. Darnold accumulated 36 total touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and 4,319 passing yards as a Viking in 2024, statistics that shot his next contract’s value to the moon.
Theoretically, if Minnesota listened to Carter and inked Darnold for $40 million per year, the organization would zap its free-agent budget and retreat to the Kirk Cousins era of team-building, hoping to find mid-tier and bargain-bin contributors on the open market.
Rumor: Daniel Jones could be pursued by the Steelers and Cardinals in free agency.
Per an Arizona Cardinals-themed podcast, the Cardinals could poke around Jones’ would-be free agency. “The Arizona Cardinals, per sources, called about Daniel Jones multiple times within the last calendar year. Monti Ossenfort had a significant interest in signing Daniel Jones,” PHNX Sports’ Johnny Venerable said last week.
“We’re preparing everybody: don’t be surprised if Daniel Jones is an Arizona Cardinal during free agency.”
And Andrew Fillipponi of Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan tweeted Tuesday, “Source: There’s interest in former Giants QB Daniel Jones inside the Steelers organization. Quote: ‘[The Steelers] could do a lot worse than Jones.’ With the belief he actually is a good fit for Arthur Smith’s offense. And Mike Tomlin’s preference for a mobile quarterback.”
So, yes, the Cardinals and Steelers may want a piece of Jones at QB2.
A Vikings “Dream Trade” Has Been Identified
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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