Free agency looms.
Sometimes when a coach speaks to the media there is a sense that they are taking the opportunity to send a message to a player.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell fielded questions about the future of quarterback Sam Darnold in the build up to the Super Bowl.
Some of his answers can give us an insight in to what the future may hold.
To help us decode the comments it is time to fire up the ‘Coach Speak Translator 5000’ – or CST5000 for short. When asked about the future of the 14 win quarterback, O’Connell replied: “Look, you guys know how I feel about Sam.
“He is a guy that we identified last year as somebody who could come in and be successful, and really, no matter where he was at before he arrived in his quarterback journey, it was about maximizing our time together.
“I think we did that, and I think it was a very special year for Sam. What that earned him is, everybody in our league now thinks he’s a bona fide, legitimate starting quarterback in our league and can win a lot of football games.
“He won 14 of them, so he’s earned the right to be a free agent, but we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his representation.”
If we run that through the CST5000 the important part is the line where O’Connell states that Darnold has “earned the right to be a free agent”.
Flashback to 12 months ago
This is the exact wording O’Connell used last year when describing the future of Kirk Cousins. Cousins was presented with an offer from the Vikings but opted to go to Atlanta for a longer contract with more guaranteed money.
During negotiations the Vikings could use this as a cautionary tale for Darnold. He could move on for more money elsewhere, but he is unlikely to find a better environment in which to succeed.
O’Connell also discussed the future of rookie J.J. McCarthy, stating: “To have J.J. McCarthy now healthy, going to have a full offseason, I think it’s going to be really exciting. We’ll see how the free agency process works out for Sam”.
According to the CST5000 the message here is simple, if Darnold does stay that does not mean he is the guaranteed starter.
McCarthy is the highest drafted quarterback in Vikings history, there will be a competition for the starting jersey.
Time for a Change?
Finally the last quote from O’Connell may give the best insight in to the Vikings plans during the offseason.
“That’s what this time of year is,” said O’Connell.
“It’s a constant dialogue, we have great dialogue with our players, and we’re just going to try to find a way to build the best possible team in 2025 that we can.”
The CST5000 is particularly interested in that last part, “to build the best possible team”.
There are multiple holes in this roster. At the moment the Vikings have a lot of cap space entering free agency.
Darnold will demand somewhere in the region of $40m per year. That $40m could be used on three or four impactful players in different positions. Building the best team may mean letting Darnold go.
