The Vikings’ quarterback situation as a source of intrigue has become almost an annual tradition at the NFL combine, thanks to the team’s perennial contract dalliances with Kirk Cousins. Their quarterback situation was in the spotlight for one more year in Indianapolis, with the looming deadline on Tuesday for the team to place the franchise tag deadline on Sam Darnold.
Many of my conversations with team and league personnel in Indianapolis centered on Darnold, and the progress of J.J. McCarthy, as the Vikings sort out an unexpected bottleneck caused by a welcomed problem (Darnold’s 35-TD Pro Bowl season) at quarterback. But there were plenty of other topics, from the Vikings’ plans for their defense to the coaching staff and front office, during the 52 hours I spent in Indianapolis for the combine this week.
Here’s a rundown of what I learned in Indy, and my biggest Vikings takeaways from the combine:
• While tagging and trading Darnold for draft picks is an attractive option for the Vikings, I got the impression this week they might determine it’s too risky. One NFC executive, who thought the tag-and-trade was unlikely, pointed out tagging Darnold effectively gives him a no-trade clause, since a new team would want to know whether the quarterback would sign a long-term deal with them before making the trade. It’s possible the Vikings could bring Darnold back on a more team-friendly deal, but since he is viewed as the top free-agent QB in a year with a weak draft class, it seems more likely he’d find a long-term suitor elsewhere. And if they were going to pull off the tag-and-trade scenario, they’d likely want to know they have a deal in place before tagging Darnold. That would have to happen by Tuesday.
• Another NFC coach thought Daniel Jones might actually be a more likely Week 1 starter for the Vikings than Darnold, if the team wanted to give McCarthy more time before taking over the job. That scenario would require the Vikings to sign Jones to a new deal in free agency, but unless he finds a clear opportunity to start for another team, he could return to Minnesota on a one-year deal similar to what Darnold did last year. It would give the Vikings more control of the timetable with McCarthy, who is still just 22, and could offer Jones a fuller chance to rehabilitate his career before resuming the pursuit of a long-term deal next year at age 28. Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah this week called Jones “a great option for us.” When adding Jones to the practice squad in November, the Vikings seemed to have an eye toward 2025; they could make him their veteran counterpart to McCarthy if Darnold leaves.
• Sources said coach Kevin O’Connell’s new contract runs through 2029; now that the deal is done, the Vikings will likely turn their attention to new contracts for their coordinators. Both offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and defensive coordinator Brian Flores have contracts expiring after 2025, and could be in line for pay bumps this spring as O’Connell seeks to reward his staff. O’Connell’s deal puts him a year beyond the end of Justin Jefferson’s contract, and a year past McCarthy’s fifth-year option.
• Now that assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski is the Jaguars' new offensive coordinator, it will be interesting to see how the Vikings fill out their quarterback coaching staff for 2025. Udinski had grown particularly close with McCarthy; as much quarterback coaching experience as the Vikings have on staff with O’Connell, Phillips, Josh McCown and Chris O’Hara, they could look for another coach to provide the one-on-one instruction O’Connell prizes. McCown, who interviewed for the Jets’ head coach job this year, could be a strong coaching candidate in future years; the Vikings might need to replace him in the near future.
• The Vikings pushed back the void date on Byron Murphy Jr.’s contract to March 11, and re-signing the cornerback is a high priority for them. For Murphy to be one of the league’s 10 highest-paid corners, he’d have to average more than $19 million per year on a new deal. But the Vikings seem eager to bring the 27-year-old back after a Pro Bowl season in which he intercepted six passes.
• Both lines of scrimmage seem like priorities for the Vikings this offseason: They've met with a number of defensive tackles from a deep rookie class, including Oregon's Derrick Harmon (who could be a first-round target for them). The Vikings haven't taken a defensive tackle in the first round since Sharrif Floyd in 2013; they'd like to upgrade their interior pass rush in hopes of getting more pressure without blitzing in 2025. While both Andrew Krammer and I heard this week that Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen's Minneapolis-based agency is interested in him being traded to the Vikings, it remains to be seen if Minnesota would trade for a 30-year-old tackle in the final year of a deal that will pay him $17 million this season.
• While Chiefs guard Trey Smith might no longer be an option for the Vikings after Kansas City placed the franchise tag on him Thursday, I continue to believe they'll push for upgrades at the position in free agency. The Draft Network reported Thursday the Vikings had a formal visit with Cincinnati interior offensive lineman Luke Kandra.
• Speaking of Cousins, it’s going to be interesting to watch how the next two weeks play out between him and the Falcons. Sources said the QB would like to be released so he can find a new team that might give him a chance to start; Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot said the Falcons are comfortable keeping him as a backup to Michael Penix Jr. Cousins would have a $10 million bonus for 2026 guaranteed if he’s on the roster by the fifth day of the 2025 league year. Considering all the other money in his contract is a sunk cost at this point, Atlanta’s decision could hinge on that additional $10 million, whether Cousins will be healthy in 2025 and how he’d approach backing up Penix at age 37.
• One final note on Adofo-Mensah’s contract: While negotiations continue on a new deal for the GM (whose contract expires after 2025), I don’t get the sense that there’s any alarm over the fact negotiations haven’t led to an agreement yet. Adofo-Mensah has been patient in extension talks with players like Jefferson; my sense is he’s taking a similar approach to his own deal, waiting for terms that work for both sides rather than rushing to get something done just to have it squared away. Everyone I’ve talked to about the deal expects it will get done; if there’s nothing finalized by April, there could be more cause for concern, but I don’t think we’re there yet.
