After the Vikings said goodbye to Kirk Cousins, whom they signed in 2018, they signed Sam Darnold, who was the third overall pick in the 2018 draft.
Meeting with reporters on Thursday, G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah declined to describe Darnold as a “bridge” quarterback.
“I’m gonna stop using terms, I think they get — I’m not gonna call him a ‘bridge’ quarterback, but he’s a quarterback that’s on our roster, under contract for a year. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the position is about how do you run Kevin’s offense? How do you overcome context when the play’s not really there. There’s different skill sets that go into the position.”
But here’s the reality. As the Vikings seemingly prepare to try to package their newly-acquired 23rd overall pick with the 11th overall pick for a possible move higher in the draft for a high-end rookie quarterback who has an impressive and comprehensive skill set, Darnold necessarily will become a quarterback who is aimed at keeping things going while the rookie gets properly prepared to play in the NFL.
In other words, a bridge quarterback.
So if the Vikings move up and take a quarterback, Darnold will be QB1, unless and until the rookie — whoever he might be — is ready to go. It could be Week 1. It could be later in the year. Regardless, it’s hard to imagine the Vikings making a bold move to draft a quarterback higher than they’ve ever drafted one (they’ve never taken one higher than Daunte Culpepper, at No. 11 in 1999) and keeping Darnold as the starter for more than a full year, if he even gets a full year.
That seems to be where it’s going. That seems to be the plan. A good quarterback makes a team into a playoff contender. A great quarterback makes a team into a Super Bowl contender. A great quarterback, paired with an offensive play designer and play-caller (which coach Kevin O’Connell is) can make the Minnesota offense better than it’s been, perhaps since 1998, when Hall of Famers Randy Moss and Cris Carter allowed Randall…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/vikings-trade-quarterback-sam-darnold-021252991.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-03-16 02:12:52
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