Peter Schrager
NFL Insider and NFL Reporter
Each week, FOX Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager opens his pocket book and provides his tackle three of the league’s greatest storylines. Here are his ideas on Week 17, together with how the Vikings would possibly deal with Sam Darnold’s contract this offseason, names linked to the Jets‘ vacant basic supervisor place and why Michael Vick will succeed at Norfolk State.
What to do with Darnold?
The greatest offseason determination for any workforce this 12 months could very effectively be what the Minnesota Vikings determine to do with Sam Darnold. What a blessing will probably be to even face a call like that, contemplating the stones the franchise has taken to get up to now. The identical week that Kirk Cousins - the quarterback the Vikings valiantly moved on from final 12 months – was benched for a rookie in Atlanta, Sam Darnold led his workforce to a different game-winning drive wherein Minnesota earned its thirteenth win of the season. Darnold’s marketing campaign was unimaginable. Darnold turned the third veteran QB in NFL historical past to win 13 video games in his first season with a brand new workforce. The different two on that listing — Steve McNair in 2006 with Baltimore and Peyton Manning in 2012 with Denver — have been seen as two of the largest free agent signings in NFL historical past. Darnold signing a one-year, $10 million contract wasn’t that in any respect. If something, Darnold knew full effectively that the job was his for the beginning of coaching camp, however he was under no circumstances promised a full season begin. When JJ McCarthy suffered an damage within the preseason recreation, many hopes have been misplaced for the nationwide media following the Vikings. That consists of me, who did not have Minnesota within the postseason in my annual September predictions. But discover me somebody who has achieved it.
What Darnold has achieved this season is nothing wanting unprecedented. And it is solely getting higher. Darnold has performed 12 video games this season with a passer score above 100. That’s essentially the most in Vikings historical past. It’s additionally essentially the most since 2020, when Aaron Rodgers — the league’s MVP — had essentially the most.
If you wait till the playoffs to drop the opposite shoe, that is superb. The Vikings may very effectively lose their first-round recreation in the event that they have been to go on the street and play Los Angeles, Atlanta or Tampa Bay. Or, they might win the division, safe the No. 1 seed. 1 and doubtlessly falling to a house workforce within the division spherical. But I do not assume what occurs in January has stopped the Vikings from beginning inner conversations about find out how to deal with the scenario when the time comes. They have three choices, actually.
1. Sign a long-term take care of Darnold. Sorry JJ McCarthy. This is life. Happens. The Vikings may preserve each QBs on the roster – even with Darnold making huge cash – as a result of McCarthy’s rookie contract will not kill the wage cap for the subsequent few years. Unknowingly, this can be extra just like the Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love scenario in Green Bay than the veteran/job-holder/rookie QB-type scenario many anticipated in April, when the Vikings traded as much as land McCarthy with the tenth choose general within the NFL Draft.
2. Darnold Franchise Label. This is perhaps the most definitely approach the entire thing will play out. Darnold will get paid for a 12 months, McCarthy will get a wholesome 12 months to follow with Darnold as QB1, and after Darnold will get paid massive sums of cash for a season, we’ll revisit all of this in a 12 months.
3. Let Darnold stroll. When Minnesota laid out its long-term plan trying on the 2024 QB room, it definitely did not envision a situation the place Darnold would demand $80-100 million after his contract was fulfilled. It’s unlikely, however maybe Darnold’s worth turns into too excessive or the Vikings have sufficient religion in McCarthy’s return to well being and promise as QB1 that they might let Darnold stroll. There will likely be suitors. Many.
The irony of all that is that, after all, two of Darnold’s former groups can have much more dramatic selections to make within the coming months. The Jets have to determine what to do with Aaron Rodgers and the 49ers want to determine how they wish to compensate Brock Purdy, if in any respect, in the long run. If you requested me now, I’d say Sam Darnold will likely be a Viking subsequent season. And the Vikings brass is greater than good at making these robust selections as soon as this miraculous season involves an finish.
The Jets’ seek for a GM
The New York Jets have accomplished interviews with three totally different basic supervisor candidates up to now. Senior Bowl government director Jim Nagy, Thomas Dimitroff and Jon Robinson all met with Jets management. While I do not assume anybody is a pacesetter within the clubhouse for the job, it reveals that the Jets are utilizing this time properly, lifting and uncovering each potential stone to get as a lot info and ideas as potential. New York can not interview any candidates with a present workforce till the common season ends. I anticipate ESPN’s Louis Riddick to have an interview this week, which may provide much more perception into the course they wish to go, contemplating Riddick not solely has a background within the NFL as a scout, but additionally calls video games on the NFL and school ranges. The one factor, in keeping with sources conversant in the opening, that continues to emerge is what the GM candidates would do with the quarterback scenario. It appears fairly apparent, however there are layers. Aaron Rodgers is a extremely rated teammate and has proven flashes over the subsequent few weeks. But his two years in New York mark a special time and place for a workforce that might be trying to do an entire and complete reset. Regardless, Rodgers and his just lately acquired teammate, Davante Adams, could need to be open to a pay lower in the event that they certainly return subsequent season.
Beyond the QB, the teaching employees’s preferences and the way the brand new entrance workplace handles the way forward for the loaded 2022 NFL Draft class will likely be of nice significance to whoever is available in and will get the job. Currently, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson are coming into their fourth season within the league and are eligible for contract extensions. How do you handle all 4 gamers, and do it with out toxicity, jealousy and the whole lot else that comes with paying guys their second contracts and on the identical time seeping into the partitions? There has been no scarcity of detrimental articles written concerning the Jets in current weeks – take them for what they’re – however the job remains to be seen as very fascinating. The wage cap scenario is in good condition, the Jets have 4 of their 5 offensive linemen established on offense and there’s a bevy of younger, proficient gamers on the roster. There are additionally not anticipated to be many GM jobs accessible this offseason. All of this results in a powerful listing of anticipated candidates. I think about just a few different folks presently out of labor within the NFL will have a look within the subsequent few weeks, after which an inventory of names that features Detroit’s Ray Agnew, Kansas City’s Mike Borgonzi and Tampa Bay’s Mike Greenberg. Getting a pleasant two-month lead, the Jets hit the bottom operating.
Two rounds of applause for Michael Vick
I simply needed to shout out Michael Vick for his head–first dive into a brand new journey. Mike has been my colleague and castmate on “FOX NFL Kickoff” for the previous eight seasons, and we had a tearful second on Sunday when he mentioned goodbye to our present and advised the nationwide viewers that he was returning to school soccer, the place he would take over as new Norfolk State coach. Michael is humble, all the way down to earth and revered by his friends. On set, he presents soccer insights and connects with the youthful era of gamers in a approach that few different quarterbacks outdoors of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning can. A era of right this moment’s greatest QBs grew up in an period when Vick was the good and most unusual participant within the recreation. However, he isn’t happy with what he has been or what number of commercials he has achieved. He is happy with the relationships he has made and the humanity he has. Every Sunday for the final 8 seasons, Mike Vick, Charles Woodson and I’d get up at 4:15am PT and head to the FOX lot to do our morning present with Charissa Thompson and a rotation of others, together with our present castmate. Giuliano Edelmann. You might even see the worst in somebody in these hours, however Mike is all the time upbeat, constructive, and able to benefit from what the remainder of his life has in retailer for him. I do not know if he has the all this within the State of Norfolk. Go Spartans. And go, Mike Vick.
NFL Stat of the Week
The Washington Commanders received 10 video games for the primary time since 1991. They received the Super Bowl that 12 months.
Peter Schrager is an NFL Insider for FOX Sports and host of “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network. You can comply with him on Twitter at @PSchrags.
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