Kobie Turner sacks Sam Darnold, whose days in purple may soon be over. Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Last night's disappointing Vikings loss sets up an offseason filled with questions.
Why it matters: This year's 14-3 season was a pleasant surprise, even if it ended poorly with a 27-9 loss to the Rams. But the team could look much different next year.
State of play: By far the biggest decision will be what to do about the quarterback.
Journeyman Sam Darnold shocked the league by putting together an incredible regular season, but he looked awful under the bright lights the last two games. He is a free agent after the season, but may have lost his chance to stick with the team.
Meanwhile, first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy is expected to be healthy next summer following knee surgery that sidelined him his entire rookie season.
State of play: The Vikings are expected to have $73 million in salary cap space — the seventh most among NFL teams, according to Spotrac.
But they have several key players of their own set to become free agents. In addition to Darnold, the team will need to decide if it wants to bring back starters like running back Aaron Jones, cornerback Byron Murphy and safety Cam Bynum.
They also need help on the defensive and offensive lines, the latter of which gave up nine sacks last night.
Between the lines: The team's successful season has been noticed by other franchises, who may try to poach important assistant coaches like defensive coordinator Brian Flores and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.
Both coaches have already received interview requests from other teams.
