While the excitement about the NFL Draft continues to increase the value of several potential players, Minnesota Vikings are ready to change their plans and stick with experienced quarterback Sam Darnold for the 2024 season.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported on April 2 that although the Vikings have made extensive plans to assess the top prospects in this year’s quarterback group, they are prepared to stick with Darnold and possibly pick a quarterback later in the draft or even wait until the 2025 draft.
“On one hand, they’ve thoroughly planned to evaluate the top prospects through private workouts and/or visits, and developed a plan to focus on developing a rookie quarterback,” Seifert wrote. “On the other hand, they’re getting ready to possibly keep Sam Darnold for 2024 and then consider either drafting a lower-pick quarterback or looking ahead to the 2025 class.”
The Vikings acquiring the No. 23 pick of the first round in a trade with the Houston Texans seemed like a clear indication that the organization plans to combine that pick with the No. 11 selection to move up and pick a quarterback.
However, the Vikings have given conflicting signals regarding the trade with the Texans, stating it was about “flexibility” and that they need a team to be “complicit” in a trade — a message that the Vikings aren’t willing to yield their will regardless of their desire to acquire a top prospect.
“The effort to find a complicit team willing to facilitate a trade up in the draft, and the need for flexibility to adjust if they can’t find one, is the middle ground the Vikings are operating in,” Seifert added.
New Vikings Regime Has Precedent of Passing on QB; is Confident in Darnold
GettySam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings will certainly be aggressive in pursuing a trade into the top five of this year’s draft — but whether they will do so at the expense of their future depends on who falls past the top two picks.
Star Tribune beat reporter Ben Goessling reported that the Vikings tried to move up in the 2023 draft but did not have the necessary draft capital after the T.J. Hockenson trade. They also passed on Will Levis and selected wide receiver Jordan Addison instead.
Levis is a cautionary tale for teams to not buy the pre-draft hype that inflates players’ value.
He was hyped by multiple sources and was the betting favorite to go No. 2 overall in the days leading up to the 2023 draft. However, on draft day, he was not chosen until the second round.
This year is no exception to the pre-draft hype. J.J. McCarthy was predicted to go as high as No. 2 overall as a favorite target by the Washington Commanders, while Michael Penix Jr. seemingly moved into the top 20 with his pro-day performance after months of being a fringe first-round talent.
The exact placement of prospects on the draft boards of the 32 teams will never be known, but if public opinion has any impact, it seems the price for the Vikings to acquire a quarterback in this draft is only increasing.
And O’Connell seems confident that he can make things work with Darnold, who signed a a contract worth $10 million for one year with the team in March.
“I believe he will play even better in the future due to how he handled the last few years,” O’Connell mentioned on NFL Network, as reported by Pro Football Talk. “Whether it’s going 4-2 down the stretch in Carolina in ’22, or evaluating his performance in San Francisco, you can tell that Kyle and Brian Griese did an excellent job with his career's next phase. They focused on fundamentals, techniques, and areas of improvement. I’m looking forward to working with Sam.”
Vikings QB Destiny is at the Patriots’ Will
GettyGeneral manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings.
The top two picks in the draft are locked at quarterback with clear needs at the position for the Chicago Bears and Commanders.
The New England Patriots also have quarterback needs but lack any semblance of a good offense to plug a rookie quarterback into. ESPN’s Mike Clay rated the Patriots offense as a bottom-three unit for the 2024 season following the first wave of free agency.
However, this hasn’t deterred New England from claiming that they are determined to select a rookie quarterback. Interim general manager Eliott Wolf is said to be activelypushing hard” for the team to draft a quarterback.
The Vikings would prefer to trade up to the No. 3 spot with the Patriots and draft their preferred choice, rather than hoping the Patriots do not select their preferred prospect.
However, the Patriots are prepared to negotiate for the next few weeks and potentially until the last moments before their pick, in the hope that the Vikings could make an offer they cannot refuse — potentially involving three first-round picks.
