Team in Flux??

Still Hurtn wrote:
Thinking about all the FA brought in, all the players on 1 year or last year of their contracts. Darnold or JJ? Hitman retiring? Limited 2025 draft picks. Seems like the Vikings will be a team in Flux over the next 2-3 seasons. Lots of new faces.

Can a franchise win long term like this? Conventional wisdom says build through the draft. Vikings drafts have not been good.

They definitely have to draft better, but the key starters--the core of this team--are under contract next year. McCarthy, Turner, Darrisaw, O'Neill, Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson, Pace, Cashman, Van Ginkel, Greenard. That's a good core. I'm not too worried about losing players like Harry, Griffin, Gilmore, Tillery, Bullard, Pat Jones, Aaron Jones, Akers, etc. Those are replaceable players.

? I’m confused. We’re at the start of our rebuild. 2022 was a run it back year. 2023 was burn it down year. 2024 is a transition year (got rookie QB and bridge QB, probably not competing) 2025 was the planned start of our window. Being in a rebuild kind of implies being in flux as you’re replacing older expensive veterans, with cheaper stop gap solutions to get cap healthy, then start committing to your window. We got a strong offensive core locked up. Locked up some mid-tier defenders for a couple years who are great scheme fits with Flores.

That said, I anticipate us maintaining a strong offensive core perpetually, and being less committed to our defenders.

I think we trade JJ McCarthy hoping to get a second and a third round pick? That would shore up some of the missing draft pick.

MaroonBells wrote:

They definitely have to draft better, but the key starters--the core of this team--are under contract next year. McCarthy, Turner, Darrisaw, O'Neill, Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson, Pace, Cashman, Van Ginkel, Greenard. That's a good core. I'm not too worried about losing players like Harry, Griffin, Gilmore, Tillery, Bullard, Pat Jones, Aaron Jones, Akers, etc. Those are replaceable players.

good post but you have no idea if JJ McCarthy will be any good at all. As a matter of fact NFL history tells us he won’t be good. I think I read 65% of NFL quarterback drafted in the first round end up failing

If you do not have a QB you are screwed as we all know. I don’t think they’re taking a chance on what appears to be a very skinny and fragile JJ McCarthy over a guy that’s proven himself this year. I mean seriously when I saw that still shot of JJ McCarthy on the sidelines during the Detroit game, I thought what the hell that guy can’t weigh more than 185 pounds. Not good!

DH11 wrote:
I think we trade JJ McCarthy hoping to get a second and a third round pick? That would shore up some of the missing draft pick.

If you do not have a QB you are screwed as we all know. I don’t think they’re taking a chance on what appears to be a very skinny and fragile JJ McCarthy over a guy that’s proven himself this year.

I think they'll find a way to keep Darnold, but they're not going to trade away this franchise's 1st ever top 10 pick at QB after all the research, analysis and development they devoted to him. And if they take a 2nd and a 3rd for the 10th overall pick last year, heads will roll.

DH11 wrote:
I think we trade JJ McCarthy hoping to get a second and a third round pick? That would shore up some of the missing draft pick.

If you do not have a QB you are screwed as we all know. I don’t think they’re taking a chance on what appears to be a very skinny and fragile JJ McCarthy over a guy that’s proven himself this year. I mean seriously when I saw that still shot of JJ McCarthy on the sidelines during the Detroit game, I thought what the hell that guy can’t weigh more than 185 pounds. Not good!

You are an odd duck that just hates JJ. What has Darnold proven? He is not a guy I want to hang this franchise on. He is a QB that is not allowed to call plays at the line. Why do you think that is? Darnold proved he can play within KOC. The biggest game of his career and he absolutely shit the bed. JJ is KOCs pet and he is not going anywhere.