For the Minnesota Vikings under center, nothing has gone quite as expected this offseason, which may pave the way for a league-shifting decision in less than seven months. The signing of Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowler Dak Prescott to a huge multiyear contract—which owner Jerry Jones is reportedly unwilling to pay—would constitute that action. Unless something amazing happens in Minnesota over the next eighteen weeks, fans can fully anticipate the Vikings to be among Prescott’s suitors if he becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Sam Darnold is the starting quarterback for the Vikings for a one-year contract. This is likely his final opportunity to show the NFL as a whole that he is a starting-caliber quarterback. After being selected third overall in the 2018 draft, Darnold has proven to be a complete bust in the six years that have passed. With all of the tools at his disposal in Minnesota, Seth Walder of ESPN projected on Monday, September 2, that Darnold would have the best season of his playing career. However, he also said that it won’t be enough to propel the Vikings to the top of the league or secure Darnold’s starting position in 2025. “The seventh season of Darnold won’t be the charm. In any case, not really,” Walder penned. “Darnold won’t place in the top 20 in QBR, but he will finish qualifying with a greater QBR than ever before (25th). Darnold’s stats will be aided by playing in the [Kevin] O’Connell offense, but his poor history is just too extensive.”
The Vikings, coming off of two straight losing seasons, will likely enter March of next year with no clear answers at quarterback due to J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending meniscus tear. O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will definitely be in hot water as a result of it. The Vikings’ brass will either have to stake their careers on a second-year quarterback in McCarthy without any regular-season experience, or they will have to look to free agency for a quicker solution if McCarthy isn’t poor enough to earn a top-five choice. If Prescott manages to reach the market, there won’t be a better response. The quarterback for the Cowboys is in the last year of a four-year, $160 million contract, and according to Spotrac, his market value is expected to be $55.1 million each year for the next four seasons.
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