The Case For Not Resigning Sam Darnold

Don’t get me wrong, Sam Darnold has had one heck of a season. He has exceeded many expectations and even ranked in the top 5 in passing yards and passing touchdowns this past season. For a guy to have a career year like that, many people think he deserves a new contract. I am here to tell you, NO! As a longtime Vikings fan, this feels like a trap, and a repeat of Kirk Cousins 2.0.

The past two weeks have shown that Sam Darnold cannot handle the pressure of big games. He had the chance to step up and say, “I am your guy,” but instead, he looked like he reverted to his factory settings: inaccurate passes, holding the ball too long, and not hitting wide-open receivers. What happened to the guy we saw all season? The Lions game was a wake-up call for the Vikings. When the pressure is on, can you deliver? The simple answer is no. I saw flashbacks of Kirk Cousins (1-4 playoff record). We don’t need another QB who’s great in the regular season but shuts down in the big games.

The Vikings are now 0-2 in playoff games in the Kevin O’Connell (KOC) era. Part of the blame should be placed on KOC. How do you not get your guys ready to play? I didn’t see any adjustments offensively or defensively in last night’s loss to the Rams. On offense, the OL was getting thrashed, yet there was no adjustment to shorter passes or quick throws. I know Sam Darnold has the tendency to hold the ball too long, but could some of that have been due to longer routes being run? Defensively, you can blitz some QBs but not others. I thought Flores would have learned his lesson by now, trying to blitz Goff and Stafford, but apparently not. Smart QBs diagnose the blitz and get the ball out quickly. I would have liked to see an adjustment to more 4-man pressure with more guys in coverage. I’m not saying to never blitz, but pick and choose your blitzes wisely. Far too many times, Stafford shredded us when Flores brought the blitz.

Let’s get back on track after my little rant about last night. The Vikings cannot make the mistake of giving Sam Darnold a $30-$40 million contract. Our weaknesses are exposed when we play championship-caliber teams, starting with the biggest one—interior offensive line (iOL). The combination of Blake Brandel, Dalton Risner, and Garrett Bradbury just isn’t cutting it, to put it kindly. Their PFF grades are below:

• Blake Brandel: 55.2 overall, 61.4 pass block, 57.9 run block — Rank: 98/135
• Dalton Risner: 67 overall, 76.2 pass block, 57.4 run block — Rank: 42/135
• Garrett Bradbury: 62.1 overall, 48.2 pass block, 70.7 run block — Rank: 33/64

This is a position the Vikings have ignored for far too long. Yes, they drafted Ed Ingram in the second round, but he was benched. Imagine how bad you have to be to get benched with this starting iOL. The Vikings have two premier OTs in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, so it’s no surprise that most of the pressure is coming from the middle. Watching all the Viking games this season, it was mind-numbing to see the lack of push up the middle in the run game. Whenever we were in short-yardage situations—3rd and 2 or 3rd and 3—we had no choice but to pass. When you draft a center in the first round (18th overall), you expect a Pro Bowler. Bradbury just isn’t that guy. I’m sick of constantly seeing him get pushed back 5 yards into the backfield. Kwesi has done a good job of moving on from players who don’t produce, but he’s still stuck.

Some other holes on the team include RB, iDL, and secondary. With 70 million in cap space you simply can’t give Sam Darnold big money. The one thing we have going for us that we didn’t have when Kirk Cousin was here is J.J. McCarthy. It’s true we don’t know what we have with McCarthy but I am more than willing to find out. Let’s face it, Sam Darnold is a product of KOC and the system. I would bet my life savings that you put Sam Darnold on another team and he won’t replicate the success that he has had this past season with the Vikings. KOC has proven he can be a QB whisperer, I would be fine going into next season with J.J. McCarthy and Daniel Jones as the backup. The Vikings have a real chance to be a Super Bowl contender if they use their cap space and draft capital properly this offseason. However it will come down to what they decide to do with Sam Darnold. If they resign him to a big contract I fear this will set the Vikings back. The 70 million in cap space and draft capital should go into iOL, RB, iDL, and secondary. In doing so the Vikings will be set up to be successful for many years. Please Kwesi do not make the same mistake Rick Spielman made and give the QB a monster contract. This Vikings team has a lot of talent and a bright future but we are entering one of the most important off seasons we have had in many years. This offseason will surely determine whether the Vikings can be Super Bowl contenders or if it’s back to the same old mediocre Minnesota Vikings.