Inside The Vikings

Vikings NFL combine preview: Sam Darnold's future and other key storylines

This week in Indianapolis sets the stage for the upcoming madness of the NFL offseason.

Will Ragatz

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center.
Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
In this story:

It's NFL combine week.

This is the week on the league's calendar that truly sets the stage for the madness of the offseason that's right around the corner. Yes, it's about testing numbers and interviews for hundreds of this year's draft prospects, but it's also about so much more than that. With all of the NFL's top executives, coaches, scouts, and agents descending upon Indianapolis, this is when conversations are had that will shape free agency and all kinds of possible trades. It's a critically important week for all 32 teams.

There's a lot to figure out this week, in particular, for Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, head coach Kevin O'Connell, and their top staffers. Those discussions will happen behind closed doors, both in the halls of the Indiana Convention Center during the day and in restaurants around the city at night. But for fans who want to hear from Minnesota's brass publicly, they'll hold their annual combine press conferences on Tuesday the 25th. O'Connell goes at 11:30 a.m. CT, followed by Adofo-Mensah at 12:00 p.m. CT.

Let's briefly go over some of the top Vikings storylines to keep in mind heading into this week.

What happens with Darnold?

Good news, everyone: We're just a couple weeks (or so) away from finding out what happens with Sam Darnold this offseason. Since the season ended, it's been an endless stream of rumors and vague insider reports and coach-speak comments from O'Connell when asked about Darnold's future. Thankfully, that all ends soon. As the top domino on the quarterback market, his future will have to be determined pretty quickly when free agency begins on March 10 — assuming he doesn't get tagged before then.

Darnold will be one of the biggest topics of conversation this week in Indy. His agents will want to have a clear sense of what the Vikings' offer is going to look like, and which of the QB-needy teams out there are the most interested in his services. For Minnesota, is there enough outside interest that tagging Darnold before the March 4 deadline and trading him for draft capital is realistic? How do all the other QB dominoes — Matthew Stafford perhaps among them — factor into the situation?

In my personal opinion, the most likely outcome has been clear all along. Darnold will go to free agency, he'll get an offer from another team that is much bigger than what the Vikings put on the table, and the stage will be set for J.J. McCarthy to be Minnesota's starting quarterback this year.

Where will Vikings' other focuses be in free agency?

Darnold dominates the attention, but he's far from the only prominent Vikings player hitting free agency. Conversations must be had around the futures of guys like Byron Murphy Jr., Camryn Bynum, Aaron Jones, Daniel Jones, and many others. The Vikings may want to keep Murphy, but he could have a big market after a Pro Bowl season. Bynum is another interesting one who could potentially still sign a new deal with the Vikings before hitting the market. Both Joneses are sneaky important pieces who will draw interest elsewhere.

Then there are the conversations the Vikings will have with the agents of key free agents from other teams. Minnesota has big holes to address in the trenches (guard, defensive tackle) and in the secondary (pending what happens with their starters) in a couple weeks, not to mention several other positions. They've got the cap space to be big players in free agency this year, and those wheels will be put into motion this week.

Trading down in April?

Unlike cap space, draft capital is not a plentiful resource for the Vikings. Quite the opposite, in fact. They've got the weakest group of draft picks in the league, which is one reason why trading down from 24 in April feels almost inevitable. Adofo-Mensah will not be content making just four selections in this year's draft, so he'll be exploring a variety of ways to add picks. Maybe that involves something creative like a Darnold tag-and-trade. More simply, it could be about discussing the frameworks of potential trades with teams picking anywhere in the 25-50 range. When deals like that happen on draft night, the groundwork has almost always been laid far earlier than that.

Recommended articles

Stay up to date on all things Vikings by bookmarking Minnesota Vikings On SI, subscribing to our YouTube channel, and signing up to receive our free Vikings newsletter.

Published
Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

Home/News