A lot of posters and fans expected him to falter at some point and I think he’s looking more and more dangerous. His confidence is at an all time high and he’s playing good football.
I see him improving, his accuracy is up, his decision making is quicker and he is staying in the pocket to deliver the ball…… the light build has clicked on.
He’s playing good football.
That leaves Min with a tough decision.
He’s a free agent and I’m sure someone is going to be willing to pay him.
This begs several questions I’d like to hear everyone’s opinion on.
Should MIN pay the man. If so how much?
If MIN lets him hit FA who will target him and how much do you think he will get paid?
If MIN decides to keep him do you think they will trade JJ McCarthy? What do you think his trade value would be?
Lastly what would you do if you were MIN.
Let Sam hit FA and let JJ and Daniel Jones duke it out?
Pay Sam and trade JJ?
Pay Sam and keep JJ?
I’m curious what you all think.
I can tell you that I think they almost have to keep him and trade JJ.
Perfect scenario which is why I was desperate in all my mock drafts for Minny not to get him @Thats2 was right the entire way saying he’s going to Minny and it’s a perfect fit
I just saw the highlights and I was not overly impressed. Maybe it’s my Lions blue Koolaid. .but seemed like his receivers who IMO are the top 1/2 in the league.
Saw a lot of throws of his back foot where the ball was up for grabs and his boys came up with it or the DBs just fell down.
Again I only saw the highlights, but was just meh on it…more impressed with JJ and Addison.
To answer your question, I let him walk…think he is over performing and you don’t want to handcuff yourself to him. It’s the reason they let Kirk go…get the young, cheap QB and pay your skill players!
I think Darnold will want to leave. There are more openings than rookies to draft this off-season. Vegas gets Shedeur, NY gets Ward, then Tennessee/Cleveland signs Darnold. I’m not sure Minny can really keep him without tagging him.
Also they’ll definitely get a 3rd round comp pick for him.
I think they wait until end of year and see how their playoff run goes. Ultimately, I think they let him walk as he will get paid more elsewhere. He might get offered far more than a Baker type contract.
When I say let him walk, I mean they won’t match what someone else will pay him. Not necessarily that they don’t want him.
Finally, if it was me, thanks for the memorable year Sam. We’d love to have both you and JJ, but tough decisions with the salary cap. Wish you all the best and you deserve every penny on your next contract. It just won’t be with us.
Darnold came in at age 21… he number and rating weren’t “good,” but they weren’t “awful” either. Guys throwing around 225 yards a game with positive TD/INT at age 21-22 typically end up pretty good.
Isiah Crowell, the corpse of Lev Bell, Robbie Chosen, Jamison Crowder, Jermaine Jearse… Chris Herndon? That was his supporting cast- and he had Bowles, Adam Gase, and then when Saleh came on… they moved on from Sam and drafted Zach Wilson-
Let’s say as a young man (21) with arm talent, they put a Cali kid in New York elements.
At age 27 he’s thriving with a stud support cast, a stable HC and playing in dome?
I would pay Darnold 2 years and 75M fully guaranteed. I would explain to JJ that he will be starting by age 23… and to Sam that he will be boosting his value, having fun, playing with a great cast and he will be a FA at age 29!!!
If JJ looks next year like Caleb or Levis do now- then I promise JJ won’t be happy…
Another reason why I think he’d be okay with being tagged. He is excelling under O’Connell. He can stay in that system, have another big year and then really hit the jackpot. Plus the franchise tag is big money.
I hate admitting it, but O’Connell was a great hire.
