It's Sam Darnold decision time
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Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy. Photos: Brooke Sutton and Adam Bettcher/Getty Images
Minnesotans can count on three things: death, taxes and Vikings offseason quarterback drama.
State of play: Minnesota has until March 4 to lock up Sam Darnold, otherwise he is probably heading toward free agency and could be scooped up by another team.
Why it matters: The choice between keeping Darnold or turning to 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy could change the trajectory of the franchise for years to come.
Catch up quick: Darnold was a Vikings reclamation project when they signed him nearly a year ago. He rewarded the team with a 14-win season in which he ranked among the best quarterbacks in the league in most statistical categories.
Yes, but: He fell flat in the team's final two games, including a season-ending playoff loss to the L.A. Rams in January.
How it works: The window opened Tuesday for the Vikings to use their franchise tag on Darnold, which means they would be able to keep him for one year on a $41 million salary. But doing so could hamper them from signing other free agents for needy areas like the offensive line and defensive secondary.
- They could also sign him to a longer-term contract for less money per year, but that would mean that 2024 first-round pick McCarthy would ride the bench for longer than most fans might want to see.
The intrigue: There's growing speculation that the Vikes could use the franchise tag on Darnold and then trade him to another team that is desperate for a quarterback, like the Las Vegas Raiders or New York Giants.
- With the NFL Combine beginning Thursday in Indianapolis, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will get a better feel for if other GMs are willing to make a trade, as Purple Insider's Matthew Coller has pointed out.
The other side: McCarthy, who won a national championship with the University of Michigan before being drafted by the Vikings, looked good in training camp last summer before a knee injury ended his season before it began.
- Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell will have to be confident McCarthy's recovery is going smoothly enough for him to be ready for a grueling 17-game schedule.
The bottom line: This is the kind of decision Vikings fans have become accustomed to, dating back to the never-ending QB carousel of the 1990s.