NFL GDT: 2024 NFC Wild Card Round: (4) Los Angeles Rams vs (5) Minnesota Vikings

[Reality Check]

So who do the Vikings actually target at QB in the offseason?

Do they try to take a flier on trading for Geno? Hope Rodgers can come back to the division and revive himself? There really aren't a lot of options.

I'm thinking they roll with Jones for one year and have him compete with McCarthy.

Darnold coming back wouldn't surprise me either. His price has now dropped as well in all likelihood.

 

[MMC]

Easy clap

 

[bellagiobob]

So who do the Vikings actually target at QB in the offseason?

Do they try to take a flier on trading for Geno? Hope Rodgers can come back to the division and revive himself? There really aren't a lot of options.

I’m sure they’ll give McCarthy every opportunity to be the starter next year, but bring in a decent plan B in case things go badly. With their recent success on reclamation projects doing well for them, wouldn’t be a shock if that guy is Jones.

 

[GKJ]

I see Darnold back with the Vikings

 

[Squiffy]

Brutal game. Was expecting a close one but full points to Rams, well executed on all levels. The Rams towel boys probably had an elite game, thats how complete the effort was.

 

[Avs_19]

Just an absolute disaster from start to finish. Out-coached and outplayed.

At least now the “trade McCarthy, extend Darnold” talk can end for good. It wasn’t the smart play to begin with and now the decision is made.

Darnold was by far the worst of it, just like last week, but it wasn’t just him. IOL is also a big issue going forward.

Great job by the Rams. Clearly the better team.

 

[bellagiobob]

Crazy to think how much in future earnings that Darnold has likely lost in the last two weeks.

 

[hatterson]

I’m sure they’ll give McCarthy every opportunity to be the starter next year, but bring in a decent plan B in case things go badly. With their recent success on reclamation projects doing well for them, wouldn’t be a shock if that guy is Jones.

I think they will, but they have to have a real backup plan and not just a random vet behind him.

He's effectively still a rookie because of the injury and knee injuries can be hard to be back at 100% right away. It wouldn't surprise me if he struggled heavily early on.

 

[Terry Yake]

I see Darnold back with the Vikings

doubt he'd be willing to serve as a backup to mccarthy. there are plenty of teams out there who need a QB

 

[Avs_19]

JJ McCarthy is and will be the guy. Handpicked to be the franchise QB and will get every opportunity to prove them right. Frankly, anything else is just idiotic and shortsighted. Don’t deviate from the plan that was years in the making just because of a 14 win season with Darnold.

 

[LightningStorm]

Just an absolute disaster from start to finish. Out-coached and outplayed.

At least now the “trade McCarthy, extend Darnold” talk can end for good. It wasn’t the smart play to begin with and now the decision is made.

Darnold was by far the worst of it, just like last week, but it wasn’t just him. IOL is also a big issue going forward.

Great job by the Rams. Clearly the better team.

Tough to have such a putrid 2 weeks after a great and magical 14-2 start. This season still well exceeded my expectations, but tonight was terrible. For how Darnold played these last 2 weeks on the biggest stage, I'm ready to move on to McCarthy. All of Darnold's bad habits manifested in the ugliest way these last 2 games.

Good point about the OL. I've been watching mediocre at best Vikings OL play the last 15 years, and that's been one of very few organizational weak spots for us.

Oh well, the 2024 Vikings were a fun ride while it lasted.

 

[Avs_19]

Tough to have such a putrid 2 weeks after a great and magical 14-2 start. This season still well exceeded my expectations, but tonight was terrible. For how Darnold played these last 2 weeks on the biggest stage, I'm ready to move on to McCarthy. All of Darnold's bad habits manifested in the ugliest way these last 2 games.

Good point about the OL. I've been watching mediocre at best Vikings OL play the last 15 years, and that's been one of very few organizational weak spots for us.

Oh well, the 2024 Vikings were a fun ride while it lasted.

Yup. IOL needs a big upgrade regardless. Darnold just held onto the ball way too long though. More than half of those sacks were on him.

Season with a lot of fun moments but these last two games leave a bad taste for sure with how badly they were outclassed. Ah well, offseason should be fun.

 

[Reality Check]

JJ McCarthy is and will be the guy. Handpicked to be the franchise QB and will get every opportunity to prove them right. Frankly, anything else is just idiotic and shortsighted. Don’t deviate from the plan that was years in the making just because of a 14 win season with Darnold.

Bringing him back for 1-2 years is fine. Especially with McCarthy coming off an injury.

You let Darnold go if he is asking for more $ and security. Which he should be looking for if we're honest. If he is willing to take less, knowing he is in a good situation and is liked by the locker room, I see no harm in keeping him.

You also have no problem letting him go because you know your coach has excelled with multiple QB's and you need to spend money elsewhere. You also don't have a lot of draft picks.

 

[I Hart Conor Garland]

Season with a lot of fun moments but these last two games leave a bad taste for sure with how badly they were outclassed. Ah well, offseason should be fun.

You're purple Green Bay with three more wins but four less Lombardis.

 

[John Price]

 

[TheGreenTBer]

McVay is really a hell of a coach. So is KOC to get 14 wins out of this Minnesota team.

Would happily take either of them tomorrow on my team.

 

[Breakers]

Joe Buck and Aikman talking about the numbers disappearing off Darnolds next paycheck

Good season
But these past few weeks have cost him some serious change

He’ll be franchised

 

[TheGreenTBer]

Joe Buck and Aikman talking about the numbers disappearing off Darnolds next paycheck

Good season
But these past few weeks have cost him some serious change

He’ll be franchised

I agree.

No way in hell you sign him long-term (yet or at all) after the way he finished the season, but it is awfully risky for a team coming off a 14-win season to dump their QB for nothing just to make room for a rookie coming off a massive injury.

However, if I were forced to choose between signing him and not signing him, based on the money it would take...I'd let him go.

 

[Unholy Diver]

I agree.

No way in hell you sign him long-term (yet or at all) after the way he finished the season, but it is awfully risky for a team coming off a 14-win season to dump their QB for nothing just to make room for a rookie coming off a massive injury.

However, if I were forced to choose between signing him and not signing him, based on the money it would take...I'd let him go.

He was down 21 pts at the half of his first playoff game before making a feeble attempt at a comeback, sounds like a perfect addition for the Steelers

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

Being a Vikings fan is an experience.

What a jarring end to the season. 2 weeks ago the team had Darnold up on their shoulders in the locker room after beating the Packers for the 2nd time and getting to 14-2. Since then they've been absolutely embarrassed in their 2 biggest games in the last few years and Darnold went from looking like the best QB in the NFC to a guy who'd be lucky to have a backup job.

The silver lining about this result is there's no longer a question on what decision to make at the QB position for next season. And I'm not sure I'm all that concerned about Flores getting a HC job now either.

 

[LT]

Can't believe some people still think Minnesota should bring back Darnold

He wasn't even supposed to start all that much this season

They gotta find out what they have in McCarthy. And if JJ doesn't work out, Darnold isn't the solution.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

He was down 21 pts at the half of his first playoff game before making a feeble attempt at a comeback, sounds like a perfect addition for the Steelers

THE DARNOLD IS THE DARNOLD

 

[Avs_19]

You can't use up $40-50M in cap space on the franchise tag for Darnold. The issue isn't that he simply just regressed, moment got too big for him, made a couple of bad decisions, etc, he did a complete 180 and reverted back to being who he was prior to Minnesota. Literally everything came unraveled for him and he was shook in the two biggest games of the year. Call it unfair or in the heat of the moment but for me that undid everything we saw in the prior 17 weeks.

Their initial plan is still right there for them. Who knows but you'd think McCarthy should be good to go considering it was a meniscus injury and not an ACL or some other major surgery. Kirk's dead cap comes off the books so go with McCarthy and some other cheap-ish QB like Daniel Jones. Use all the cap space they have to build up other positions like IOL and DB. If McCarthy hits, which is currently a complete unknown, then you're set up in a great situation.

 

[SwordsgoneWild]

Would happily take either of them tomorrow on my team.

I'd take McVay in a heartbeat. Could you imagine him coaching either Burrow or Allen? Talk about fun. A man can dream .

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

You can't use up $40-50M in cap space on the franchise tag for Darnold. The issue isn't that he simply just regressed, moment got too big for him, made a couple of bad decisions, etc, he did a complete 180 and reverted back to being who he was prior to Minnesota. Literally everything came unraveled for him and he was shook in the two biggest games of the year. Call it unfair or in the heat of the moment but for me that undid everything we saw in the prior 17 weeks.

Their initial plan is still right there for them. Who knows but you'd think McCarthy should be good to go considering it was a meniscus injury and not an ACL or some other major surgery. Kirk's dead cap comes off the books so go with McCarthy and some other cheap-ish QB like Daniel Jones. Use all the cap space they have to build up other positions like IOL and DB. If McCarthy hits, which is currently a complete unknown, then you're set up in a great situation.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

This was a fun year and you wish they didn't completely implode in the two biggest games, but it was all house money anyway, they were supposed to be a 7-9 win team at best. These last two performances, made what should have been a pretty easy decision regardless of what the media and twitter said, an even easier one. The moment got too big for Darnold and he crumbled. KOC (and the IOL) isn't completely absolved after the last two games, but it was more on Darnold. I wasn't getting my hopes up, had a feeling they would lose, it's the Vikings after all. For every Minneapolis Miracle, there's probably about 20 of these games.

Your coach just won 14 games with Darnold (and also got the most he could out of Mullens/Dobbs last year, and had Cousins playing the best of his career) how do you not run it back with the hand picked 10th overall QB, on a cheap contract, no less? If McCarthy flops, then KOC is probably out the door with him, but it still was the right move. They could have won the Super Bowl this year and I don't think they would have regretted moving on from Darnold. He can have fun in Cleveland or Vegas or wherever.

Use the ton of cap space you have on the trenches and CB and go from there. They won't win 14 again next year, but they can still be a playoff team, even if McCarthy is just slightly above average in what is basically year 1 for him after a redshirt. See if Jones wants to come back as the backup/insurance, or if he doesn't I'm sure there are a bunch of similar vets out there who will.