The Minnesota Vikings have plenty to sort out in the offseason. The most pressing manner of which to discuss is what the Vikings plan to do at quarterback. Kirk Cousins is slated to become a free agent and will have plethora of suitors to choose from.
After he went down, the Minnesota went through a revolving door of potential answers, but guys who proved they were anything but. Joshua Dobbs won the the team a couple of games and was fairly successful in his brief stint in Arizona earlier this season. But he struggled with turnovers and inconsistent play, which led to him getting benched.
The same could be said for Nick Mullens, who the Vikings replaced Dobbs with. Mullens is a gunslinger and not afraid to push the ball downfield, but he threw eight interceptions in three starts. Jaren Hall, the Vikings' rookie fifth round pick out of BYU, looked woefully out of place in his lone start of the season against the Green Bay Packers.
Quarterback will have to be a priority for Minnesota in the offseason, whether they keep Kirk Cousins (who will be 36 years old by the time next season starts) or not. The 2024 NFL Draft might be their best bet to do just that. Two prospects stand out as potentially attainable players for the Vikings.
Jayden Daniels, Quarterback
Jayden Daniels has already donned purple and yellow to much success, so why not run it back? Daniels was not thought of as a potential first-round draft pick entering the season, but then he stepped up his play exponentially to put himself firmly on the map.
He completed 72.2% of his passes and averaged an absurd 11.7 yards per attempt. Daniels ended up with 3,812 yards passing and 40 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions. To put that in context with how much his draft stock rose this season, Daniels threw for 49 touchdowns in his first four collegiate seasons.
The one issue with the Vikings and their possible quest to land Daniels is that it will almost surely require a trade up. It might not even be possible to land Daniels with a trade up.
After the season ended, the top three picks (Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, and New England Patriots) all are comprised by teams who need a quarterback of the future and/or could trade their pick to a different team who needs a quarterback. One of those teams could be the Vikings after they reportedly tried to trade up to draft Anthony Richardson before the 2023 NFL Draft.
Daniels might be unrealistic, but if the Vikings were serious about trying to trade for Richardson, perhaps they make an offer to one of these teams in the top three that they can't refuse. Though the Vikings have the 11th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they should not be ruled out as a player for a trade.
Michael Penix Jr., Quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. might be a more realistic option for the Vikings. Should they land Penix Jr., they should still be absolutely thrilled. Penix Jr. might be older for a quarterback prospect (he will be 24 years old by the time next season starts) and has suffered a litany of injuries during his career, but it seems foolish to overlook Penix Jr. and his body of work because of that.
He has been absolutely sensational for the Huskies in his two seasons in Seattle and their run to the national championship this season. Penix became the first quarterback since Patrick Mahomes to throw for at least 4,500 yards in consecutive seasons.
Penix was absolutely surgical against the Texas Longhorns as he has been all season long. With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson at his disposal to throw to, Penix would have no problem showcasing his monster arm and continuing to put up numbers.
The Vikings may not need to trade up to land him either. If the Vikings want a long term solution at quarterback, they could do a lot worse than drafting Michael Penix Jr.
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