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Carmen Vitali
NFC North Reporter
The Minnesota Vikings tried very hard to keep quarterback Kirk Cousins, who had built up two contracts’ worth of goodwill with the organization and two seasons of overall success with head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Ultimately, the Vikings couldn’t come close, according to reports. Cousins is now an Atlanta Falcon and a guaranteed $100 million richer. Atlanta signed him to a four-year deal coming off an Achilles injury ahead of his 36th birthday.
Minnesota wasn’t going to do all of that.
The good news is that while the Vikings’ Plan A fell through, they have a ton of capital with which to come up with a Plan B. Even after making additions in free agency, they have $31 million in cap space and nine picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. And their plan is beginning to take shape.
The team signed veteran quarterback Sam Darnold on Tuesday to a one-year, $10 million deal. In case this needs to be spelled out, Darnold is a bridge. He’s an insurance plan. He is not being signed to be the unquestioned starter. Darnold will likely have the opportunity to contend for that position but I still expect Minnesota to be aggressive in trying to move up for a quarterback in the draft.
Why do I expect that? Because the Vikings reportedly tried to move up last year to get C.J. Stroud. They had a fraction of the capital then. Now that they have plenty of picks and some bargaining chips, they should swing for the fences again.
Minnesota is also set up to facilitate the development and growth of a young quarterback. They added Josh McCown, a former NFL quarterback, to their staff. O’Connell himself is a former quarterback. It means the two coaches the passers will deal with have been in their shoes.
The Vikings also have a roster set up to help a young signal caller. They just signed veteran running back Aaron Jones a day after he was released by Green Bay. Minnesota’s offensive line isn’t quite a finished product, but…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/the-vikings-qb-succession-plan-is-already-taking-shape-whats-next-for-them
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Publish date : 2024-03-13 13:20:04
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