Yes, the Vikings Have THAT Blueprint.
The Washington Commanders stamped their ticket to the NFC Championship on Saturday, upsetting and dominating the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in the Divisional Round.
Yes, the Vikings Have THAT Blueprint.
Next up for the Commanders? A date with the Philadelphia Eagles, a division rival, in Pennsylvania this weekend, with a Super Bowl trip on the line.
Onlookers watched in awe of the Commanders’ rapid ascension to stardom, wondering just how in the hell Washington could become a contender overnight. Well, guess what? The Minnesota Vikings have that blueprint, too.
Washington the Envy of the League with “The Right Guy”
The Commanders have conducted their 2024 majesty due to one primary commodity — Jayden Daniels as “the right guy” from last year’s draft. The guy is unbelievably poised and calm, so much so that wondering aloud if he’s a rookie is fair game.
Well, the Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy about 45 minutes after Daniels to Washington. Minnesota has the hard part out of the way, securing the draft capital necessary to find its quarterback of the future.
Of course, the kicker here is to determine if McCarthy will perform as well as Daniels, a tall ask. However, in years past, Minnesota has found itself stuck with an expensive quarterback who produced rather good — but not great — numbers.
Many NFL teams currently pay a non-elite passer … elite money. Or they don’t have an identifiable quarterback of the future on the roster at all. The Vikings don’t have that problem. They’re right next to Washington, per the plan.
Affordable Team-Building for 4 More Years
Washington can ride this wave for four more years, no matter what happens in the next three weeks.
Daniels’ next contract won’t kick in until the 2029 season, and that discount cannot be undone. The Vikings lost McCarthy to a torn meniscus last August, delaying everything by one year. Still, like Washington, Minnesota will have four precious years to build a team around McCarthy, who won’t earn a massive contract until 2029 (if he turns out to be productive).
From 2018 to 2023, Minnesota surrounded Kirk Cousins — who usually earned around the seventh or eighth biggest paycheck per year in the NFL — with bargain-bin free agents and various draft classes. Until 2029, the Vikings can big-game hunt in free agency. It’s a perk for the Vikings, Commanders, and teams that draft promising young quarterbacks.
Commanders Aren’t Craving Sam Howell or Taylor Heinicke
The key? Minnesota must start McCarthy in 2025 and start the four-year window. Washington, all of a sudden, has a five-year window because Daniels didn’t tear his meniscus.
Some will be tempted to re-sign Sam Darnold or re-up with Daniel Jones, creating a summer camp competition between McCarthy and Darnold/Jones. That’s fine and dandy, but Minnesota shouldn’t embark on the McCarthy experiment while hedging bets and creating insurance policies.
The Commanders totally committed to Daniels — sink or swim — and now they’re in the NFC title game. Commanders faithful do not miss Sam Howell or Taylor Heinicke, for example, Washington’s Sam Darnold-like solutions from the last several years.
They acted boldly, handed the scepter to Daniels, and were prepared for the fallout — good or bad.
The Vikings have one chance to “let her rip” in 2025 like the Commanders did with Daniels. The blueprint is there.
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 Vikings 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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