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The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2024 NFL season. Nobody expected the Vikings to be a competitive team after losing Kirk Cousins. However, Minnesota is 10-2 heading into Week 14 and is still alive in the NFC North division race.
The Vikings have not had any discussions regarding a long-term contract with QB Sam Darnold, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Darnold is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2024 season.
This is a somewhat surprising development for the Vikings. Darnold has achieved a ton of success with Minnesota this season mitigating the loss of Kirk Cousins, who the Vikings play on Sunday. However, Vikings fans who have been paying attention should not be all that shocked.
Minnesota has already been rumored to be happy letting Darnold walk in free agency. There are two main reasons for this.
First, Darnold is likely going to be an expensive quarterback to acquire this offseason. He is having a career season with Minnesota, and his price tag will only go up if the Vikings go on a deep playoff run.
Second, the Vikings have already invested a first-round pick in quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The rookie suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason and is the presumptive future of the franchise.
Everything seems to add up to Sam Darnold leaving Minnesota in free agency for a starting job somewhere else. It will be interesting to see what happens during the spring.
Vikings' Justin Jefferson gives Kirk Cousins his flowers ahead of Week 14 grudge match
Vikings fans are undoubtedly excited for Week 14's huge game against Kirk Cousins and the Falcons.
Cousins, the long-time Vikings QB, left Minnesota this offseason and signed a massive contract with the Falcons. But that does not mean that he is a hated man by his former team.
Justin Jefferson heaped praise on his former QB earlier this week ahead of this big game.
“[J]ust seeing him, and seeing his day-to-day routine, seeing how he comes to work every day, and how he’s on the playbook, how he’s studying hard every single day, how he’s so much into the book — I love that about him,” Jefferson said via Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.
“And just his work ethic, and just him as a person is great, always. It’s always great to have a quarterback that you can joke around with and be yourself with and just to have his locker right next to mine and talk to him every single day and be with him every single day — it was definitely a great experience.”
Jefferson has good reason to praise Cousins. He amassed 392 receptions for 5,899 yards and 30 touchdowns during Cousins' tenure with the Vikings.
