Beware of Misdirection with Sam Darnold and the Vikings

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In that vein, Adofo-Mensah, the team’s ownership group, and head coach Kevin O’Connell might endorse Darnold’s return to the Twin Cities if only to gain leverage in possible trade negotiations.

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For example, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero dialed back the popular “Darnold is gone” theory last week. He spoke with Sportskeeda and sang a different tune about Darnold’s offseason.

“I would say on paper the most logical outcome of this is Sam Darnold still in Minnesota. J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season coming off knee surgery,” Pelissero opined. “They believe in him. They’re not trading J.J. McCarthy. But there’s no precedent for a guy missing an entire year of reps as a rookie and coming back and playing again like it hasn’t happened.”

Wildcard Round of the postseason.

It may be vividly obvious that McCarthy as Minnesota’s QB1 in 2025 makes the most sense. He’s affordable, hungry, and a 1st-Rounder. However, if Darnold-needy teams know they can simply sign him via free agency, well, the Vikings would get nothing for him via trade.

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Therefore, any time a listener hears or sees a report stating, “I’m told the Vikings want Darnold back,” know that it could be misdirection. In theory, if the Vikings did the opposite — “J.J. McCarthy is our guy” — the franchise would receive nothing via trade because Minnesota would’ve played its hand.

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It’s a bit similar to how organizations are mum during a draft build-up. Can’t tell the enemy your plans.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.