This isn't going to be a popular opinion with some....

[MAD GAINZ]

Kwesi wasn't fired because Darnold made the Super Bowl.  Things I've heard from a little birdie support what the Wilfs said in their press conference after his firing...  it was a culmination of a lot of things.

Biggest one being how the QB situation unfolded the last two years. Apparently we had a deal with New England to trade to #3 for Drake Maye and Kwesi screwed it up by asking for some future mid-rounders back.  The pivot to JJ McCarthy wasn't an issue (he has his believers on the coaching staff), but I heard before the season started that KOC didn't think he was ready to start after missing most of his rookie year and wanted to keep Darnold until JJ proved he was ready to go.  Front office wanted to take advantage of a rookie QB contract and load up the roster. This certainly jives with KOCs frustration at times early in the season and why he played it safe with JJ McCarthy coming off the high ankle sprain.  I think KOC knew he wasn't ready and didn't want to ruin him but Wentz going on IR didn't give the staff much choice. 

Then you add in Kwesi admitting he miscalculated on the Daniel Jones situation and there you go...  he let Darnold walk against his HC's wishes, he failed to keep Daniel Jones in the building by not offering more than a 1-year deal and assurance it would be an open competition, and our QB room was a mess.  We let two good veteran options go and brought in Howell and then Wentz and called it good.

Meanwhile this years FA class was expensive and didn't have anywhere near the impact his 2024 class had...  he had a horrible draft in his first year and most of the guys he's drafted in 2022 and 2023 aren't even on the roster and he apparently liked evaluating time horizons and spreadsheets more than collaborating with FO folks, scouts, and coaches...

Sometimes the truth is staring you right in the face.  I do think KOC will push to get a solid veteran in here.  Who that ends up being?  Not sure.  One thing I'll say about Kirk is he doesn't look like the guy he was before the Achilles injury. He's good enough to push JJ McCarthy and start a few games but I think his days as a starter are done.  He just doesn't have any zip on his throws and KOC loves to attack with deep outs and intermediate crossers.  I don't think Kirk can make those anymore.

[MaroonBells]

Apparently we had a deal with New England to trade to #3 for Drake Maye and Kwesi screwed it up by asking for some future mid-rounders back.  

This is a myth. 

SI.com‘s Albert Breer published a piece this week chronicling Sam Darnold’s rise in Seattle, laying out the broader takeaways from that arc.

Buried inside the article was a revealing detail about Minnesota’s quarterback ambitions in 2024. Breer wrote, “There’s the one caveat to all of this, which is that the Vikings tried with all their might to trade up for Drake Maye in 2024. O’Connell loved him. Maye was coached in high school by Vikings assistant Josh McCown and was a teammate of McCown’s son.”

“Minnesota offered both of its first-round picks in 2024 (Nos. 11 and 23) and its 2025 first-rounder to the Patriots, with later-round pick swaps favoring Minnesota to move up to the third pick.”

Despite that, a segment of the fan base has spent the time since the 2024 NFL Draft insisting Minnesota simply walked away from the deal. That belief doesn’t align with what actually happened.

Breer added, “O’Connell pushed them to go further. It wouldn’t matter, because the Patriots weren’t moving, sitting there as convicted in Maye as Minnesota was in the former North Carolina quarterback.” The resistance came from New England, not hesitation from Minnesota.

“But if the Vikings had somehow gotten the Patriots off their spot with Maye, all of this might look different, and the aforementioned rumblings probably would have stopped.” The entire trajectory hinged on a pick that was never available.

https://vikingsterritory.com/2026/news/t...-maye-cine

[pattersaur]

Kirk would be a good fit for the reasons mentioned, but Carr should be cheaper and is easier to picture/less of a distraction in a backup role. He's my pick

[purplefaithful]

Id really like to not have to give-up anything even sniffing a mid-round compensation.

Not for someone we all hope never sees the field in 26.

[comet52]

Well I'm still in favor of Jamies Winston.  I would think he could be had for a 6th or 7th rounder aka peanuts.  

He won't demand the starting job but he can take over if JJM is dogshit.  He can run the stuff KOC loves.  

Does he throw picks?  Sure.  So did Sam Darnold.  Any QB in purple now is basically the captain of the S.S. YOLO-ball for better or worse.  It's a boom-bust offense. 

It isn't going to win a title unless Brian Flores produces an historic miracle on defense, but it probably gets the Wilfs their coveted seven seed/early exit that they seem to love way more than getting serious about winning a title.

[Knucklehead]

Kirk would be a good fit for the reasons mentioned, but Carr should be cheaper and is easier to picture/less of a distraction in a backup role. He's my pick

The speculation is that Carr is only interested in LV where he would be the bridge QB until Mendoza is ready.

[pattersaur]

The speculation is that Carr is only interested in LV where he would be the bridge QB until Mendoza is ready.

That’s actually really funny if Carr thinks he can unretire, force the Saints to pay him money, and then call his shot where they trade him too. Maybe I’m misunderstanding the situation but yeah if he doesn’t wanna play here, don’t trade for him ofc.

[MaroonBells]

The speculation is that Carr is only interested in LV where he would be the bridge QB until Mendoza is ready.

That would be a good place for him. But I'm not sure why the Raiders don't just use Geno Smith for that. He's still under contract. And they have Kenny Pickett too.

[Montana Tom]

I have more than once said KC would be an ideal bridge. He already got paid. He has already been knocked off his lofty "I am a starter in the NFL" perch by virtue of what happened in Atlanta. He knows Minnesota, so does his family. He knows KOC's offense. He knows JJetta.

Is he the same athlete that he was before his Achilles injury? Hell no. Especially at his age. However he is at the peak of his last Before Date. He turns 38 in August. That's about where many top QB's have peaked out...

I would also be totally opposed to trading for a QB...even a couple low rent 6th or 7th round picks. Time to reverse Kwesi's penchant for trading picks for a questionable outcome (that more often than not were bad answers to those questions). There are enough FA's out there (including KC) that one of those will fill the bill.