Way to go Sammy

Guess which QB leads the NFL in not missing open receivers? 

The top 10 starting QBs in missed yardage:

1. CJ Stroud (718)
2. Patrick Mahomes (562)
3. Caleb Williams (545)
4. Josh Allen (524)
5. Bo Nix (500)
6. Jayden Daniels (481)
7. Anthony Richardson (458)
8. Justin Herbert (409)
9. Lamar Jackson (401)
10. Jared Goff (358) pic.twitter.com/3BGDFSySWd

— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) December 11, 2024

When you look at free agent qbs available, Darnold is going to get a bag.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/_/year/2025/position/qb/sort/contract_value

LEGENDARY: #Vikings QB Sam Darnold is 1 of ONLY 4 PLAYERS in the past 15 seasons to have 2+ touchdown passes & a passer rating of 100+ in 10 of his first 13 games in a season.

Sam joined Patrick Mahomes, Philip Rivers, and Aaron Rodgers.

SPECIAL🤯 pic.twitter.com/OTgv3djusX

— MLFootball (@MLFootball) December 11, 2024

Lol

Vikings sure have created a conundrum for themselves...Or, some might argue an embarrassment of riches?

And here I thought it would be a nice, relaxing offseason.

Sam Darnold had 4 more completions on passes thrown at least 20 yards downfield on Sunday.

That gives him an NFL-best 27 for the season

Next-closest: Justin Herbert with 21

Darnold has both the most completions &the highest completion percentage on these passes (57%, 27-of-47) pic.twitter.com/vcRiMFcyQT

— SIS Football (@football_sis) December 10, 2024

purplefaithful wrote:
Lol

Vikings sure have created a conundrum for themselves...Or, some might argue an embarrassment of riches?

And here I thought it would be a nice, relaxing offseason.

Especially when they signed Danny Dimes, I commented about an embarrassment of riches in the QB room.  I mean look at it:

Darnold
Mullens
JJM
Jones

The way things are trending, all four will be healthy at the start of next season.
We will not keep all four.
I think once the season is over, and results are in and all sides take a moment to digest what just happened, a full season body of work will provide more clarity.   Here is what I think could happen (I'm sounding like all those Mock Draft predictors which are nothing but clickbait), but here goes:

1. Darnold will re-sign for a four year deal, two years guaranteed at a reduced rate from market, because of KOC.  That gives the Vikings a chance to sit JJM for a total of three years, like Love sat, like Rodgers sat.
2. Darnold will bolt for the highest paying suitor, regardless of situation.  He's gone w/o any compensation to the Vikings.
2a) If he is gone, then we are looking at JJM and Jones.  Mullens on PS or gone
2b) Jones is activated for Week 18, and becomes eligible for a compensatory pick for the Vikings if he signs elsewhere.
2c) Jones stays and is re-signed to a similar "bridge" contract as Darnold was this year.  
2d) Jones outplays JJM and wins the starting position outright in camp, and JJM sits for another year or two.
2e)  Cannot forecast in my wildest dreams where Mullens sits in any of these scenarios.

I think that if Darnold continues the rest of the season on the trajectory that he showed in the second half of this last game, it's going to be tough to just walk away from what clearly could be the "bird-in-hand" franchise QB.  If "Bad Sam" shows back up, it would be easier to let him walk, because the grass is always greener, right?

If "Good Sam" stays in the game for the rest of the season, I would predict that the Vikings will at least make an offer to stay. Then he has to decide if he'll take what they can offer, because the team situation has been fantastic for him to bloom and emerge as a top QB in the NFL.

I was listening to ESPN radio yesterday on my drive home, and they were talking seriously about the justification for Darnold as MVP.  They cited chapter and verse, but the underlying rationale was that the Vikings were forecast to be a bad team this year, and anywhere from 4 to a max of 7 wins, and the biggest reason for that overachievement is Darnold's performance (plus his numbers are better than the supposed MVP leading candidates).  

I mean with this "bridge" QB, even JJets is on track for 1,500-1,600 yards, which is near his second best-ever season.  Darnold seems like an even-keeled, practical-minded thinking person who has gotten beat up early in his NFL career and been labeled "bust".  No teams that would be willing to break the bank for Darnold have a trio like Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson.  They make Darnold look better and he certainly knows that.

I remember other QBs like Steve Young who did not really blossom into Super Bowl winners until they were at least 30.  Darnold is 27.

I will add that the Vikings success to-date is Sam + Flores/Defense.

Cashman, Greenard, Van Ginkel (and I guess Jones) are huge additions. I had no idea at the time of signing what that meant for the year.

I forgot about adding Dimes to the squad by Wk 18...Lots of strategizing going on in Eagan these days. I hope they navigate it well.