Daily Norseman
Will the Vikings tag anyone?
It is franchise tag starting day! Will the Vikings tag anyone? Rumor has it that they may tag Byron Murphy instead of Sam Darnold. A little note is that Sam Darnold, Stephon Gilmore, and Byron Murphy all had their contracts voided yesterday, February 17th.
https://overthecap.com/contract-triggers-calendar
This means that the void years included in their contracts escalate to the 2025 cap. That means 5M for Darnold, 4.2M for Murphy, and 2.33M for Gilmore all count as dead money and would be part of any new contract in 2025. Based on this, I do not see a franchise tag of Murphy but could see an extension although you would have hoped they could have reached an agreement before his contract voided.
My guess it they really want to tag and trade Darnold and the price to keep Murphy has gone too high and Kwesi has said he has “walk away” prices.
Harrison Smith’s deadline to terminate his contract is March 15th. If the team does not terminate his deal, his 25M salary for 2026 becomes guaranteed. I am going to go out on a limb and say that is not going to happen. If he wants to continue playing then I could see them working something out for another season. Maybe 5-7M?
USA Today’s Tyler Dragon believes Minnesota could look to move on from Darnold to allow McCarthy to take the Vikings’ QB1 reins.
“Is Darnold the quarterback who helped lead the Vikings to a 14-2 record through 17 weeks or the QB who withered down the stretch?
“It’s likely somewhere in the middle,” Dragon wrote.
“In totality, Darnold’s 2024 season was much improved from what we’ve previously seen from the journeyman. The Vikings could re-sign Darnold, but will they really sit J.J. McCarthy another year?
“I believe Darnold should return to New York, but this time in a blue uniform.”
‘You know where to go’: Justin Jefferson makes pitch to Myles Garrett
“You know where to go, brother,” Jefferson told USA TODAY. “We need about one, two extra pieces, and you’ll fill in that piece. We need you.”
Draft, free agency ‘dream scenario’ for Vikings is unveiled by experts
Every football fan has a dream offseason scenario in mind. With nearly $60 million to spend in free agency and the 24th pick in the NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings are armed with the bones of a 14-win roster and the tools to upgrade weak spots on the offensive and defensive lines and in the secondary.
*Of course, some dreams are realistic and others are fantasy. Yes, it would be great if the Jets released Davante Adams and he signd with the Vikings for cheap to team up with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. Without a doubt it would be amazing if soon-to-be-former Jets cornerback DJ Reed...
