Sam Darnold reportedly becomes ‘place holder’ for Minnesota Vikings | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC

Mike Florio and Chris Simms evaluate the reported one-year deal to bring Sam Darnold to Minnesota and question why the Vikings weren’t in the conversation for Russell Wilson. #NBCSports #ProFootballTalk #vikings
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Sam Darnold reportedly becomes ‘place holder’ for Minnesota Vikings | Pro Football Talk | NFL on NBC
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It’s the Josh mcau Mike Glennon Arrangement yeah the hey this is our guy and then six weeks from now we don’t know how long this guy’s going to be the starter it’s Mitch trubisky the year they got Kenny picking in Pittsburgh we see it all the time that’s what Sam

Darnold becomes for the Minnesota Vikings a placeholder a bridge short term oneye and now the other side of it is who knows who knows what he’s going to do with Kevin oconnell we saw Josh dos better than ever with Kevin oconnell Nick Mullins threw for 400 yards with

Kevin oconnell the only guy that we haven’t seen much from is jiren Hall who who against the Falcons last year led a drive all the way down to the end zone but suffered a concussion trying to score the touchdown that opened the door for Josh dos so there’s a chance jiren

Hall may have something I don’t know how it’s going to play out but you know I saw on Super Bowl Sunday just two days after I had that epiphany talking to Julie cousins while she was talking to my wife about I think you know what this may not work somebody on

And it it got caught up in all the Super Bowl Sunday Splash reports somebody linked darnold to the Vikings and that made that sinking feeling for me even stronger it’s like they’ve already yeah they’re already planning to yeah I hear you this was definitely out there everybody knew that that Sam darnold was

High up on the list of the the Vikings if if as a the contingency plan as they say right you’re no no doubt about that that that’s where like I I heard all those things and heard it from people that I trust and all that that’s where the KK cousins thing was shocking

Yesterday and I should have listened to you more but I just didn’t hear from anybody that I trusted in the league of enough to know it that way uh but the Sam darnold thing seemed very real and you’re right just off of that alone and how that was going around the circles of

The NFL I I should have probably taken the Kirk C thing more serious cuz obviously Minnesota had a feel that it was it it could be danger time with Kirk Le yeah and Darold is the guy who now steps in the grandson of Dick Hammer steps in as the the bridge quarterback

From Minnesota Vikings on a 10 million dollar deal for one year that’s look I mean all due respect to Sam darnold Chris why weren’t they in it on Russell Wilson if they knew this was coming why aren’t you on the phone with Russ saying Hey Russ let’s ride let’s pillage let’s

Plunder like I think you’re our starter here well yeah I hear you I hear you I hear you there you know I think there’s all the baggage that comes with Russell Wilson a little bit like we talked about the other thing too that I and we hit on

This yesterday a little bit and you’ve hit on this with you know the Shawn Payton dynamic in Denver I don’t think Russell Wilson’s that kind of guy sometimes to these offensive guys that want to attack and checks and do all these things to the line of scrimmage

Right I think that’s where Kevin okon’s going to look at and go man he didn’t like like Shawn pyton and doing that well I’m kind of along those lines of how I want to attack so that doesn’t fit me he wants more of the you know at the

Line of scrimmage right knows the coverages gets the offense into the right play makes the right checks hey those plays he talked about us at the combine where it’s the same play but there’s Nuance to it and it changes from week to week with some of the rules

Right he needs a quarterback that can be all over that type of stuff right and I think that’s where Russell Wilson’s questioned a little bit to a degree and Sam darnold you know has the reputation of being able to handle that now let’s see for the first time ever with the

Coach some Talent around him and all that can Sam darnold show that you know he is a starting quarterback this is going to be the first time he has a chance to be in a situation where I we we can legitimately look at it and go

Well he should succeed you know the Jets we knew was like oh I don’t know if it’s going to work number three pick I don’t know Jets right Carolina Panthers are like oh man I mean damn he’s going to Carolina geez it’s going to be hard to

Look good there here’s one where it’s like nah you shouldn’t look bad here not with this coach and this offense right so we’re going to see all about Sam darnold here and and and him uh you know being thrusted into the spotlight at least in the early part of the Season uh

If they don’t draft a quarterback the most memorable moment from Sam darnold’s career with the Jets was the hot Mike NFL films seeing ghost moment right Monday night against the New England Patriots so it’s going to be Kevin McConnell’s job to make sure that there are no ghosts that the ghosts

Aren’t real and that all he’s seeing are the openings in the defense based upon the attack plan that oconnell has come up with unless and until they get a guy in the draft that ends up being better than Sam darnold but you have been a proponent of darnold since the end of

The league as the third overall pick from the Jets remember the Jets traded up with the Colts to get in position to get get darnold he was the second quarterback taken and went Baker Mayfield saquon Barkley Sam darnold that year so that’s the same year the cousins started playing for the Vikings 2018

Cousin signs with the Vikings in March darnold gets drafted by the Jets in April and you know there was a a point last year where you know we we thought uh well it was after that Vikings game when Brock pie took a couple of hits and he was concussed and somehow got cleared

To play just six days later we thought darnold was getting a start yeah the week after they had lost to the Minnesota Vikings but that wasn’t uh to be that that was when they lost to the Bengals right 3117 after losing to the Vikings on Monday night the same day

Cousins tour is Achilles tendon so we’ll see what darnold can do and and by the way couple a couple of final points on cousins yeah I I did the research last night and I’ve been saying they haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Fran targon Kirk Cousins is the first

Quarterback to start eight or more games for six straight seasons for the Vikings since Fran Tark that’s Taron only did it seven straight years because he was gone with your Giants from 67 to 72 so he had seven years when he came back of eight or more starts and no one had gotten

Close to that until cousins and we’ve got the list of all the names some will conjure good memories for Vikings fans some will cause you to quote Conor McGregor and say who the fuk is that guy so we sorry if that even counts fck is

Okay if fck is okay then fuk is okay in my book but you know a long list of guys revolving door of guys and they they want that guy because I understand this goes back to what ques dooes said July of 2022 yeah right when he said you know

I’m a little nervous we didn’t blow it up at quarterback he said that the one thing I’m nervous about is we’re not tearing it down at quarterback KT cousins is good but basic basically you need Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady if you want to win a Super Bowl so this has

Been brewing for a while in Minnesota they want to go all in at quarterback and get the guy that’s going to be there for seven or more years as their starter starting half the games or more in every single season yeah no I I mean I I know

Those were strong words by quaf when he said them that they really were uh but but it seemed like the tune had changed but maybe that’s why there was a line of demarcation there as far as how much they were willing to pay where you know management looked at it and went wait

We’re not willing to go here we don’t think you’re that caliber of a player we think the offense and the people around you and Kevin okell have made you maybe look a little bit better than what you really are right may maybe that’s the thought there but you know they’re

They’re they’re in the Sam darnold business they gave him $10 million right he is going to be the guy that starts there and then where does it go from there and do they try to make a move as far as the starting uh in the draft at

Quarterback you know but I do think Sam darnold fits this offense in a lot of ways and like I go back to my old phrase Mike I mean it again if you’re around crap and craps all around you you’re going to start to smell and look like

Crap too and that’s what he was with in the Jets and the Carolina Panthers we’ve yet to see him in a spot to where I realistically as a football evaluator go well right he should have succeeded here and he didn’t the two spots he’s been at

I want to go well you put most quarterbacks there other than maybe a handful in the history of the sport they’re going to fail with the Jets and the Carolina Panthers so you know we’ll see if he could take advantage of of that opportunity but I do think he’s got

The skill set to thrive in that offense his like here’s some things to give you some love here right he’s he’s a pretty good athlete he’s definitely a better athlete than Kirk Cousins popping around the pocket or running his arm is is better than Kirk Cousins I’ll tell you

That as well his release is quicker than Kirk Cousins now he hasn’t played as much football and had the success and I know all that but there are some things to be excited about with Sam darnold there was a reason he was the number three pick and a lot of people thought

He would be the number one pick he did have some skills and ability in the size that you know I think people looked at and when hey he’s kind of elite in this area so you know we’ll see if he can take advantage of the opportunity I’m rooting for him quick pop quiz

Give me the month and the year in which Sam darnold was born go gosh he’s young I’m I remember he’s young here um I’m not going to be able to know the month but I’m going to say he was born in 1998 the year you guys lost to the

Falcons in the NFC Championship Game close 97 he’s 26 years old and and that’s stunning to me and I think it’s because you know it’s kind of like playing for the Jets is like being president it ages the hell out of you and paying attention the Jets ages the

Hell out of you but he’s only 26 at a time when there’s this push for young young isn’t Michael penck 25 yeah isn’t isn’t like one of the guys coming out oldick and grand scheme of things you know grand scheme of things Sam darnold is is uh still largely

Untapped unproven and who knows what his ceiling is but and and this may be how they kind of tried to calm Kevin oconnell down when he was saying we need to keep Kirk we need to keep Kirk it’s like but you can get the most out of

Anyone and you got the most out of Kirk it’s not him it’s you so let’s find another guy that you can turn into something more than maybe what he’s ever been which is kind of what he did with Kirk Cousins hi it’s Mike Florio thanks for watching PFT on YouTube hit

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