The Minnesota Vikings have had an active offseason so far but the organization feels like they can compete for a Super Bowl in 2024.
Instead of throwing another massive paycheck at Kirk Cousins — who was fantastic for the Vikings during the regular season but was never able to go on a significant run in the playoffs — the Minnesota brass let the Atlanta Falcons give their former QB a major payday and decided to hit the reset button on the QB position.
The Vikings signed former first round pick Sam Darnold — who spent last season as a backup for the San Francisco 49ers — shortly after the free agency period began. There’s a widespread belief in NFL circles that Darnold, who got thrown into a bad situation with the Jets out of college and never found his groove, has the tools to thrive in Kevin O’Connell’s QB-friendly system.
The Minnesota Vikings are expected to give Darnold the first chance at starting QB for 2024, but make no mistake, they drafted former Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy in the first round to be their franchise signal caller of the future.
The 10th overall pick in April’s draft, McCarthy joined the Vikings following a highly-success two-year run as Michigan’s starting quarterback. During that span, the Wolverines went 28-1 and last year captured the school’s first national title since 1997.
McCarthy is set up to succeed whenever the coaching staff feels like he’s ready to take over as the team’s starting QB. The Minnesota Vikings locked down their biggest offensive playmaker by signing the top WR in the NFL — Justin Jefferson — to a deal that makes him the highest-paid non QB in the league.
Beyond Jefferson, former USC WR Jordan Addison is coming off an impressive rookie campaign and looks poised to make another leap in 2024. While he’s still recovering from an injury from last season, tight end TJ Hockenson is one of the best in the NFL at his position and will serve as a safety blanket for McCarthy.
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, the Vikings won’t have success if their signal caller gets injured which means having a stout offensive line is paramount for 2024.
On Tuesday, Minnesota made a major move to lock down the most important piece of the offensive line.
Minnesota Vikings Give LT Christian Darrisaw Massive Contract Extension
On Tuesday night, NFL Insider Tom Pelissero reported the Vikings had reached a massive contract extension with starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw.
The four-year extension is worth up to $113 million with $77 million guaranteed.
In three full seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Darrisaw has yet to play a full season and has played in 41 out of 52 potential games in his career.
Darrisaw was a three-year starter at Virginia Tech where he was named first-team All-ACC in 2020. The Vikings drafted him with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
