Jordan Addison and the Minnesota Vikings face the Green Bay Packers in Week 17 with plenty of playoff implications.
Before the game, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero spoke with the Vikings wideout, Addison, and asked him for his thoughts on teammate and quarterback Sam Darnold. Addison did not mince words about the potential free-agent-to-be.
To him, Darnold is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.
“I asked Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison what he’s seeing from Darnold. Addison said, ‘You mean the MVP? Man, we’ve seen a lot. He’s calling the shots right now. He is comfortable in the scheme, and every week he is showing up,’” Pelissero said during “NFL Gameday” on December 29. “I told Addison, ‘You don’t really see Darnold’s name a whole lot in these MVP conversations. Addison said, ‘That’s because they’re just sleeping on us right now, but we’re just going to keep winning.’”
https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1873386572684419319
Darnold has set multiple career-high marks this season, including passing yards and touchdowns.
He is due a lucrative raise after signing a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings in free agency during the 2024 offseason. Whether or not he will be back in a Vikings uniform remains up in the air.
Mutual Interest in Sam Darnold Being Back in Purple
GettySam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on before a game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that the Vikings are still interested in bringing Darnold back even with rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy in tow. That has put the Vikings in the best kind of difficult position.
“After conversations with a team source, one thing is clear: The Vikings want Darnold back in Minnesota for 2025,” Russini wrote on December 28.
“While the original plan was for McCarthy to slowly develop into the starting quarterback while Darnold was there to hold the rookie’s place, McCarthy’s injury changed things. Now, the Vikings have a problem — Darnold has been almost too good (not in a bad way, but in a “this is now complicated” way).”
Darnold told ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry that he is enjoying being with the Vikings.
https://twitter.com/LindseyThiry/status/1871040279987564978
There are also the questions created by McCarthy missing the season with a torn meniscus.
“McCarthy hasn’t played since August, and realistically he won’t be fully in the mix until spring at the earliest,” Russini wrote. “He’s around the building and with the team constantly but he hasn’t been medically cleared.”
Russini laid out the Vikings’ options for keeping Darniold, which could include franchise tagging him.
That would give the Vikings more time to evaluate the situation.
They could either work toward a long-term deal, trade him, or try to ride it out one more season. McCarthy had turned heads with his progress before the injury, though. The Vikings have also left themselves a way out in case Darnold leaves.
Vikings May Have Sam Darnold Backup Plan in Daniel Jones
GettyDaniel Jones #13 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on before a game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Over The Cap projects the franchise tag for quarterbacks to cost $41.3 million. OTC projects the Vikings to have $76.5 million in cap space in 2025. That is enough room to sign Darnold, but it could leave the Vikings stretching to cover other roster holes.
They could need to replace five of their top six players in the secondary. Cornerbacks Byron Murphy, Shaquill Griffin, and Stephon Gilmore will be free agents, as will safety Camryn Bynum.
Harrison Smith, another safety, turns 36 years old in February and has contemplated retirement.
That is where the Vikings signing of former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones this season could pay off. Assuming Jones is willing to return even with the threat he could end up behind McCarthy, he would be notably cheaper than Darnold.
Jones has a pre-existing relationship with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. He has also seen what being in the system can do for a similarly maligned QB in Darnold.
Jones’ return to the Vikings in 2025 could make sense for both sides, pending Darnold’s choice.
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