Did the Vikings tip their hand about the quarterbacks they're interested in this offseason?
Tuesday the team announced the hiring of journeyman QB Josh McCown as the next quarterbacks coach. It is a move that may have signaled the team's intent this offseason for filling the Kirk Cousins-sized hole in their QB room.
McCown has connections to two quarterbacks that could be on the Vikings' radar heading into free agency and the draft: Sam Darnold and Drake Maye.
The journeymen QB was the backup quarterback for the New York Jets in 2018, Sam Darnold's rookie season. Minnesota has been linked with a move for Darnold this offseason should Cousins leave via free agency.
While Darnold's time in New York and Carolina weren't up to the standard of a third overall pick, there is the caveat that the surrounding organizations were complete messes. The same cannot be said about Minnesota. In Minnesota, Darnold would have a QB-friendly coach with some of the best weapons he has ever had.
Darnold would be an ideal fit if the Vikings were looking for a bridge QB to give a drafted quarterback time to develop on the bench. That's where Maye comes in.
The North Carolina product is widely considered among the top-three QB prospects in the draft, projected to be taken in the first three picks. Minnesota has reportedly been interested in moving up in April's draft to acquire its quarterback of the future.
If the Vikings were to land Maye in the draft, they would be reuniting him with his high school coach in McCown. During the later portions of his career, McCown volunteered as an assistant high school football coach. During the 2019 season, McCown was an assistant at Myers Park High School where Maye, as a junior, threw for 3,512 yards and 50 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
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