What’s that phrase, Vikings fans?
“Here today, gone tomorrow.”
Does that fit the future for quarterback Sam Darnold?
Darnold, on a one-year deal reportedly paying him up to about $10 million, is a golden boy in this town for his role in helping the Vikings to a stunning 5-0 start to the season. Although he didn’t dazzle in his last start (October 6 against the Jets before the team’s bye week), the 27-year-old journeyman has pumped new life into his career and a Vikings team that was expected to struggle and not make the playoffs.
Darnold’s early season production led to being named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. He led the Vikings to their first 4-0 start since 2016. On the morning of October 3, he had completed 73-of-106 for 932 passing yards and 11 touchdowns in four games in September. He led the NFL in touchdown passes, percentage of touchdowns thrown per attempt (10.4%) and passer rating (118.9).
However, it’s questionable the Vikings, who have an NFC North Division showdown against the 4-1 Lions in Minneapolis Sunday, are interested in Darnold beyond this year. On the extreme of developments, that interest likely changes if Minnesota goes to and wins the Super Bowl in February in New Orleans.
J.J. McCarthy, injured and out for the season, will be ready in 2025. The Vikings’ No. 1 draft pick last April has yet to play in a regular season game but during the spring and summer he did a lot to impress head coach Kevin O’Connell.
O’Connell is a gifted quarterback developer who has had plenty to do with Darnold’s emergence. It was no accident how he referred to McCarthy around the time of the rookie’s right knee meniscus surgery:
“As our fans either have already come to find out or will in the future, this guy is so motivated and so dialed in. As excited as I was to draft him, he’s confirmed everything that I hope to see not only early on through training camp, but through his performance last Saturday (August 10 preseason opening game). Our fan base and everyone should just be excited about the fact that we’ve got our young franchise quarterback, I believe, in the building.”
“Franchise quarterback” says a lot.
Not only do the Vikings believe in McCarthy’s talent but they know he is six years younger than Darnold and much less expensive. McCarthy, per Spotrac.com, will earn a base salary of $960,000 in 2025. If the Vikings have a big season in 2024 (they can even go 7-5 in their remaining games for a final record of 12-5), Darnold will play a significant role in their success and be positioned to command a huge pay raise from some team as a 2025 free agent.
The 15 top paid NFL quarterbacks this fall, according to Front Office Sports and USA Today, all earn $40 million or more. It could be a lock that Darnold, who at this stage of his career must capitalize on a first-ever breakout season, can demand and secure at least $30 million to $40 million for multiple years.
The Vikings will have significant salary cap space in 2025, but do they want to commit a large portion to Darnold, given his age, lack of success with other teams and McCarthy waiting on the bench? Probably not, with the front office wanting to use money in 2025 and beyond to strengthen other positions while knowing they already have some of the NFL’s more expensive talent including wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Darnold and his representatives, if not wanted here, will no doubt prefer a new team with similar resources to those in Minneapolis. That includes a coaching staff of exceptional teachers and play callers, and a group of talented receivers.
Hard to say where Darnold might land but the Rams could be ideal if 36-year-old QB Matthew Stafford decides to retire. He has made a lot of money, taken a lot of hits and has a Super Bowl ring. Head coach and QB whisperer Sean McVay, only 38, coached that Super Bowl team in 2022 with O’Connell as his offensive coordinator. If Darnold couldn’t play for the Vikings, McVay and the Rams with their gifted receivers, would be choice 1B.
U Football Recruiting Home Base Ranks Low in Big Ten
In the 247Sports composite college football recruiting rankings for the class of 2025, the Golden Gophers are in familiar territory. Minnesota, with 23 verbal commitments, is ranked No. 45, with 11 other Big Ten programs listed ahead of Minnesota including five in the top 15.
Having recruiting classes ranked in the upper 30s or in the 40s is common for the Gophers. College football recruiting authority Ryan Burns, who is based in Minnesota, was asked how fans should feel about the reality of University of Minnesota recruiting.
“I am not going to tell anybody how to feel. I just think it’s the reality of your recruiting base (state of Minnesota)…which in this in-state class doesn’t have a single four-star in it.
“You look at the state of New Jersey, for example. New Jersey has 20-plus kids that are higher rated than Minnesota’s top rated kid in the state. This recruiting base is not good. I continue to say they and Oregon are the two worst in the Big Ten and Oregon can buy whoever they want because they have Phil Knight’s money.
“So it’s kind of the reality of where they’re at, especially when you’re not winning consistently like they haven’t been here now for a couple of years. You kind of reap what you sew at that point.”
With the 2024 expansion of the Big Ten Conference, the league now has 18 schools. The arrival of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington means more programs to recruit against but also opens up recruiting opportunities in the talent rich state of California.
The golden state has been more on Minnesota’s recruiting radar of late, in part because the Gophers are expected to play one game on the West Coast in coming seasons. “You can sell them (recruits on) once a year we’re going to go back to where you’re from,” Burns told Sports Headliners.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that on the last two football Saturdays the Gophers have defeated USC and UCLA. The most recent victory was in Pasadena and Fleck, with his team having a bye on the schedule this week, is spending time recruiting in California this week.
Minnesota currently has three Californians among their verbal commits. “Without the Big Ten expansion, I don’t think Minnesota has anywhere near as close to as many commits as they have from the Pacific time zone,” Burns said.
The headliner of the recruiting class is quarterback Jackson Kollock from Laguna Beach who is a near four-star composite prospect. “His team in Laguna Beach is undefeated but a lot of it is because of Jackson Kollock,” Burns said. “Doesn’t have the greatest offensive line or pass catchers.
“I think he’s the most athletic quarterback you’ve seen (offensive coordinator Greg) Harbaugh recruit. He’s certainly more athletic than (present Gophers) Max Brosmer or Drake Lindsey. I don’t know if they will do too much with him in the run game, but he certainly has the athleticism to move.”
Kollock was committed to Washington until after last season’s playoffs when head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb left the Huskies. DeBoer is now head coach at Alabama and Grubb is the NFL Seahawks offensive coordinator. It’s a tribute to Kollock’s talent and potential those offensive gurus pursued him.
Daniel Shipp is a three-star recruit from Corona, California. “I am really a big fan of Daniel Shipp, who is their offensive line commit from Centennial High School out there in California,” Burns said.
“They took a chance on him as someone who tore his knee and missed most of his junior season. His early senior film has been pretty good, and they need tackle bodies in this program.”
The third California recruit is an exceptional wide receiver and another three-star player. “Someone from the all-name team, Legend Lyons, has been very prolific out there at Charter Oaks (Covina),” Burns said. He describes Lyons as ”a receiver who can really catch the football, which is something that this program needs.”
Verbal pledges can change but Burns believes their commitments are “solid” to Minnesota. “I am a big fan of those three guys out there.”