Schrager Cheat Sheet: What's Next for Sam Darnold? Who wants the Jets general manager job?

Peter Schrager

NFL insider and NFL reporter

Each week, FOX Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager opens his notebook and weighs in on three of the league’s biggest stories. Here are their thoughts heading into Week 17, including how the Vikings might handle Sam Darnold’s contract this offseason, names linked to the Jets.‘ vacant general manager position and why Michael Vick will be successful at Norfolk State.

Page Contents

What to do with Darnold?

The biggest offseason decision for any team this year could very well be what the Minnesota Vikings decide to do with Sam Darnold. What a blessing it will be to even face such a decision, considering the stones it took for the franchise to get to this point. The same week that Kirk Cousins, the quarterback the Vikings boldly moved on from last year, was benched for a rookie in Atlanta, Sam Darnold led his team to another game-winning drive as Minnesota earned its victory. number 13 of the season. Darnold’s campaign has been incredible. Darnold became just the third veteran quarterback in NFL history to win 13 games in his first season with a new team. The other two on that list (Steve McNair in 2006 with Baltimore and Peyton Manning in 2012 with Denver) were viewed as two of the biggest free agent signings in NFL history. Darnold signing a one-year, $10 million deal wasn’t that at all. In any case, Darnold knew full well the job was his at the start of training camp, but in no way was he promised a full season of starts. When JJ McCarthy suffered an injury in a preseason game, a lot of hope was lost for the national media following the Vikings. That includes me, who didn’t have Minnesota in the postseason in my annual September predictions. But find me someone who will do it.

What Darnold has done this season is unprecedented. And he’s only getting better. Darnold has 12 games this season with a passer rating over 100. That’s the most in Vikings history. It’s also the most since 2020, when Aaron Rodgers, the league’s MVP, had the most.

If you’re waiting until the playoffs for the other shoe to drop, that’s fine. The Vikings could very well lose their first-round game if they have to go on the road and play in Los Angeles, Atlanta or Tampa Bay. Or they could win the division, secure the No. 1 seed and potentially fall to a home team in the divisional round. But I don’t think what happens in January has prohibited the Vikings from starting internal conversations about how they want to handle this when the time comes. Actually, you have three options.

1. Sign Darnold to a long-term agreement. Sorry, JJ McCarthy. Such is life. It happens. The Vikings could keep both quarterbacks on the roster, even with Darnold making a lot of money, because McCarthy’s rookie contract won’t eat up the salary cap for the next few years. Unknowingly, this might look more like the Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love situation in Green Bay than the veteran QB/rookie quarterback type situation many expected back in April, when the Vikings traded up to get McCarthy with the 10th overall pick. of the NFL. Draft.

2. Darnold Franchise Label. This might be the most likely way this whole thing plays out. Darnold gets paid for one year, McCarthy gets a healthy year to practice with Darnold as QB1, and after Darnold gets paid big money for one season, we’ll revisit all of this in a year.

3. Let Darnold walk. When Minnesota laid out their long-term plan while looking at the 2024 QB room, they certainly didn’t budget for a scenario in which Darnold would be in demand for between $80 million and $100 million after his contract was up. It’s unlikely, but perhaps Darnold’s price is too high or the Vikings have enough faith in McCarthy’s return to health and his promise as QB1 to let Darnold go. There will be suitors. Many.

The irony of all this is that, of course, two of Darnold’s former teams have to make even more dramatic quarterback decisions in the coming months. The Jets must decide what to do with Aaron Rodgers and the 49ers must figure out how they want to compensate Brock Purdy, if at all, in the long term. If you ask me now, I’d say Sam Darnold will be a Viking next season. And the Vikings brass are more than fine making these difficult decisions once this miraculous season comes to an end.

Jets looking for general manager

The New York Jets have completed interviews with three different general manager candidates so far. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, Thomas Dimitroff and Jon Robinson have sat down with Jets leadership. While I don’t think either of them are clubhouse leaders for the job, it shows that the Jets are using this time wisely, picking up and uncovering every stone possible to gain as much information and thought as possible. New York cannot interview any candidate from a current team until the regular season ends. I would expect ESPN’s Louis Riddick to have an interview this week, which could offer even more insight into the direction they want to take, considering Riddick not only has NFL experience as a scout, but also calls games at the NFL level and university. The only thing that continues to emerge, according to sources familiar with the opening, is what the general manager candidates would do with the quarterback situation. It sounds pretty obvious, but there are several layers to it. Aaron Rodgers is a well-liked teammate and has shown flashes over the next few weeks. But his two years in New York mark a different time and place for a team that could be looking to make a complete and utter reset. Either way, Rodgers and his recently acquired teammate Davante Adams might have to be open to a pay cut if they do, indeed, return next season.

In addition to the QB, the coaching staff’s preferences and how the new front office would handle the future of its loaded 2022 NFL Draft class will be of great importance to whoever comes in and gets the job. Currently, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson are entering their fourth season in the league and are eligible for contract extensions. How do you manage all four players and do it without the toxicity, jealousy and everything else that comes with paying guys their second contracts seeping through the walls? There has been no shortage of negative articles written about the Jets in recent weeks (take them for what they are), but the job is still considered highly desirable. The salary cap situation is in good shape, the Jets have four of their five offensive linemen solidified up front and there is a group of young, talented players on the roster. There are also not expected to be many general manager jobs available this offseason. All of this leads to a solid list of expected candidates. I imagine a few more people currently without NFL jobs will be reviewed in the coming weeks, and then a list of names that includes Detroit’s Ray Agnew, Kansas City’s Mike Borgonzi and Tampa Bay’s Mike Greenberg. Gaining a good two-month lead, the Jets have hit the ground running.

Two cheers for Michael Vick

I just wanted to yell at Michael Vick for his head.–Immerse yourself in a new adventure for the first time. Mike has been my colleague and castmate on “FOX NFL Kickoff” for the past eight seasons and on Sunday we had a tearful moment when he said goodbye to our show and told a national audience that he was returning to college football, where he would take over. the new head coach position at Norfolk State. Michael is humble, grounded and respected by his peers. On set, he offers football insights and connects with the younger generation of players in a way that few quarterbacks outside of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning can. A generation of today’s best quarterbacks grew up in an era when Vick was the coolest and most unique player in the game. However, he’s not proud of what he was or how many commercials he made. He takes pride in the relationships he has built and the humanity he has. Every Sunday for the last 8 seasons, Mike Vick, Charles Woodson and I would wake up at 4:15 a.m. PT and head to the FOX parking lot to do our morning show with Charissa Thompson and a rotation of others, including our current co-star distribution. Julian Edelman. You can see the worst in someone at that hour, but Mike is never anything but optimistic, positive, and ready to make the most of what the rest of his life has in store for him. I don’t know if he has the X’s and O’s of Chip Kelly or Bill Belichick or the salesmanship of Lane Kiffin or Dabo Swinney, but I know Vick has the real-life experience, heart and dedication to a craft. to make this work in the state of Norfolk. Go Spartans. And let’s go Mike Vick.