Sam Darnold’s price is going to be through the roof. The Vikings are invested in JJ McCarthy, and they know the price Darnold is going to command is something that they’re just not going to be able to afford.
Darnold has proven himself enough to earn a big payday and have the opportunity to be a starting quarterback. He has 12 games this season with a passer rating of 100 or better. To put that in perspective, he had a grand total of 12 games in his entire career with that passer rating or higher before this season.
There’s only three, maybe four quarterbacks you would think about taking in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. But, there’s probably going to be eight to nine quarterback-needy teams this offseason.
Now in all likelihood, Darnold isn’t going to go to a situation where you have a good head coach, like Kevin O’Connell (who’s probably going to win Coach of the Year), a top-two or three wide receiver tandem and an opportunistic defense that allows him to get the ball back. Darnold has been great, but these things all work together. We’ll find out if he can put himself in a situation similar to Minnesota, where he had every opportunity to succeed.
Jayden Daniels shows of skill that’s important for Washington’s future
Daniels had a legacy-defining drive against one of the hottest defenses in the NFL. During their 10-game winning streak, the Eagles were top 10 in almost every defensive category.
As lucky as the Commanders were to have such an opportunity, they still had to take advantage of it. And they did.
That drive will not only go a long way in not only giving the team confidence for this season but for the future. It’s one thing to play well the entire game and then ride that momentum. To me, the best quality a superstar athlete can have is the ability to course correct. The athletes that are the most special are the ones that can figure it out midway through the game and change. We saw that with Daniels on Sunday.
CeeDee Lamb and company made a statement about Mike McCarthy
The Cowboys knew before they took the field that they were eliminated from the postseason. They were playing for nothing.
Then Lamb goes out there with a bad shoulder and absolutely balls out. The secondary was unbelievable against a red-hot Baker Mayfield and a Tampa Bay receiving corps that was finally healthy. The Cowboys took it to ‘em. They played harder, faster and more physically than a team that was in first place and had a chance to really give themselves some breathing room in winning the NFC South.
That tells me the Cowboys are playing for each other and their head coach. I think that speaks volumes as to whether or not they should bring McCarthy back.
McCarthy takes a lot of slings and arrows — some of them from me. I’m still not sure if he should’ve come back after the playoff loss last year. But what happened on the field vs. Tampa told me what his team thinks about him, and that’s the most important thing.
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