Thx for the updates Mike!!

1 Titans 3-14
2 Browns 3-14
3 Giants 3-14
4 Patriots 4-13
5 Jaguars 4-13
6 Raiders 4-13
7 Jets 5-12
8 Panthers 5-12
9 Saints 5-12
10 Bears 5-12
11 49ers 6-11
12 Cowboys 7-10
13 Dolphins 8-9
14 Colts 8-9
15 Falcons 8-9
16 Cardinals 8-9
17 Bengals 9-8
18 Seahawks 10-7
19 Broncos 10-7
20 Buccaneers 10-7
21 Steelers 10-7
22 Chargers 11-6
23 Packers 11-6
24 Vikings 14-3
25 Texans 10-7
26 Rams 10-7
27 Ravens 12-5
28 Lions 15-2

https://www.tankathon.com/nfl

Vikings only have 3 picks as of now, 1st and two 5ths. We're expected to get a comp pick, projected to be the 33rd pick in the 3rd round, for the Cousins departure. The other FA's that we lost were canceled out by the FA's that we picked up.

Kiper is already out with his 1st mock today.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6079452...extension/

Last summer, longtime NFL quarterback Colt McCoy was trying to explain what made Kevin O’Connell different from other NFL coaches.

“As smart as he is with X’s and O’s,” McCoy said, “he’s equally as good at legit coaching. Like, coaching.”

What did that — coaching — mean?

“How do I bring together all of these players?” McCoy said. “How do I get these 25-year-olds and veteran players with families to believe in each other? People think, ‘These are just millionaires.’ But no, it can be a team.”

https://www.nfl.com/news/head-coach-kevi...th-vikings

Multiyear contract. Financials unknown at this point.

After listening to all the pundits say why we will re-sign Darnold on a Franchise tag, sign him to a 4-year deal, blah blah ad nauseum, and why we will trade JJM and nobody knows what to do with Daniel Jones...I think I can reasonably forecast what will actually happen in the end. 

It's going to be a business decision (just like letting Cousins walk, which worked out pretty well for us).  After trying to make it complicated, I realized it's not that complicated.

You're going to tie up around $41 million to secure Darnold for one year on a franchise tag, or between $35-$40 million/year on a 3-4 year deal.
You have maybe $50-70 million (depending on who is calculating what) in salary cap room. 
Do you tie up $40mm on one person?  Or do you use that as capital to re-sign the FA's we badly want to keep, and go on the hunt for more help on both interior lines?
JJM's cap hit is team friendly this year and for a couple more years.  

If they are serious about building a Championship calibre TEAM, it makes more sense to spread that salary cap around, not hamstring us into oblivion in future years by deferring cap hits (thanks Spielman).   You've theoretically got say $35mm to spend on improving the roster, and that includes keeping JJM and signing Daniel Jones to a one year backup extension for say $5mm/year (while he attends QB Whisperer School with KOC).  

One variation on that them would be the tag & trade option for Darnold.  Franchise tag him and trade him to some QB desperate team.  There are very few proven options out there and I'm certain that some teams would think they died and went to heaven if they could get Darnold for a bargain $41mm with the option of a long-term deal.  

I'm impressed with some of the moves Kwesi has done to build this roster and get us out of cap hell that he inherited.  It doesn't happen all at once.  I think he learned from blowing the draft his first year, and he's a smart, shrewd guy.  We are sitting with an embarrassment of riches in our QB room, and that give us leverage.  Not one person thought we'd be in this situation 365 days ago.

Welp, as a Notre Dame fan certainly a disappointing end to a great season, but not completely unexpected when accounting for key injuries and the discrepancies in "cost" of the two teams playing in the championship game. Ohio State reportedly spent in excess of $20 million dollars assembling an all-star roster in contrast to Notre Dame's reported $7 million. It was essentially the Oakland Athletics playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. There is no salary cap in college football, some fan bases/boosters are allowed to contribute funds to recruiting "efforts" or payoffs while others aren't. The odds significantly shift in your favor the more you are willing to spend and some programs will pay any cost to win. Ohio State was essentially two or three deep at every position with NFL level talent. I hate Ryan fucking Day, his sharpie penciled beard, and his smug face. But hey, congrats to the Bucknuts..you bought yourself a pretty new ring. College football needs to take a long hard look at the way they conduct business regarding NIL and recruiting. If they just want the same ten or so teams that can spend the most competing for championships every year while reducing the rest of college football to non competitive status...congrats because that's what you've created.

I don't see the Vikings adding a running back in free agency. There's just not much out there. Even if we bring back one or both of Jones and Akers, I think the Vikings will take a RB with one of their first two picks. From this list, I love Jeanty and Henderson. Unimpressed by Skattebo and Neal. With the depth of this class, there's probably going to be good backs still on the board after the draft. One sleeper I like right now is Montrell Johnson, Jr out of Florida. 

The gods deemed me worthy to return to my mortal shell from Valhalla...

My sole purpose is to protect you fine folks from trolls.  My sword and shield are yours.

BOOM

Lions OC Ben Johnson hired by the Bears.

That didn't take long.