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Insider makes shocking prediction about future of Vikings' Sam Darnold
It's believed the Minnesota Vikings decided against using the franchise tag to retain quarterback Sam Darnold before Tuesday's deadline for such a decision because no real trade market materialized for his services during the NFL Scouting Combine that wrapped up this past Sunday.
During the latest edition of his podcast, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shockingly suggested that Darnold could re-sign with the Vikings either before or after he becomes eligible to begin speaking with other clubs when the free-agent negotiating window opens this coming Monday.
"It would not be surprising if the two sides figured out some sort of short-term contract that enabled the Vikings to get Sam Darnold, that enabled him to get paid, that enabled them to run in back in the event that J.J. McCarthy is not fully ready this season from his knee injury, or struggles in the preseason, or experiences whatever type of setback there is," Schefter said about the situation, as shared by Andy Nesbitt of Sports Illustrated. "So to me, Sam Darnold to Minnesota makes sense..."
A 2024 first-round draft pick, McCarthy spent his entire rookie season as a sidelined spectator after he required a full meniscus repair this past August. Minnesota nevertheless is reportedly confident he'll be ready to win games as a Week 1 starter this coming September.
Meanwhile, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio mentioned on Tuesday afternoon that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is "content to let" Darnold test the free-agency market next week.
On Monday, Vikings reporter Alec Lewis of The Athletic hinted that the team could look to hold onto Darnold if his market turns out to be "in the $25M (per year) range." The following day, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic predicted a quarterback-needy team such as the Indianapolis Colts could offer Darnold a deal "worth more than $40M a year."
Schefter seemingly doesn't share Rosenblatt's opinion regarding Darnold's value as the top free-agent quarterback of the offseason.
"So we’ll see if there is a team out there...that makes a compelling enough offer to pry loose Sam Darnold," Schefter added during the podcast episode. "My guess, as we tape this, is no. My guess is the one that makes the most sense is Minnesota. It’s not exactly what Sam Darnold would have hoped for or wanted but it’s still a favorable outcome in my mind."
Darnold went 14-2 as a starter during his first campaign with Minnesota before he endured nightmare outings in the regular-season finale and the wild-card playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Perhaps those performances scared would-be buyers off to the point that Darnold will decide to re-sign with the Vikings as long as they welcome him back.
More must-reads:
- Justin Jefferson provides guarantee amid Vikings' uncertain QB situation
- Insiders expand on Vikings' franchise-tag decision for QB Sam Darnold
- The 'Active NFL QB's with the most passing yards' quiz
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Packers HC Matt LaFleur explains what's making him upset
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur isn't happy after his team dropped a NFL Week 3 contest to the previously winless Cleveland Browns. It was a game that the Packers should have won, by all accounts. They gave in as a favorite on the road because over the first two weeks of the season, they looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. That's feedback the Packers were apparently taking to heart before the Cleveland game, in a bad way. This was a team that was clearly overconfident and a squad that perhaps got caught looking at the big picture rather than than the week-to-week grind of the NFL. Heck, offensive tackle Rasheed Walker was talking about an undefeated season before the Week 3 loss. "I think we can go undefeated, honestly," Walker had said. LaFleur calls out the Packers The end result of the Packers' overconfidence was a disappointing 13-10, last-second loss that was ugly, sloppy and uninspiring. The Packers suffered a terrible Jordan Love interception that swung the game, and they lost on a last-second field goal after having what could have been a game-winning attempt of their own blocked. On Monday, LaFleur was clearly fed up and frustrated. "I've said it a million times to you guys — I don't think I've obviously said it enough to our team — the goal is to go 1-0 every week," he said, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "And it pisses me off when we start talking about things outside of the next game. Things that are way down the road. Like, focus on, keep the focus on the present, on the now, and worry about getting better each and every day." Everyone else can look at the big picture, and for what it's worth, in the grand scheme of things, this is still a Packers team that can win the Super Bowl this season. They've got an elite defense that held Cleveland to zero points through three quarters, and when they're clicking, Love leads an offense that can put up points. A Week 3 loss won't determine the Packers' ultimate Super Bowl aspirations, but it's absolutely a sign that this team needs to get focused and stop reading its own press clippings. The phrase "any given Sunday" is around for a reason. The other team gets paid to try to beat you each and every single week, and the Packers clearly forgot that was the case with the Browns. Can they learn from it? That's clearly the message that LaFleur is trying to get across to his team. "I think it's always a good reminder, like, 'Hey guys, pump the brakes on everything. We're just trying to win one game at a time,'" LaFleur said. "And if you're thinking [beyond that] or have your sights set on anything outside of that, I think you're focused on the wrong things. Like, we've got to be focused on trying to get better. Obviously today, the focus is on first of all being honest about the tape and what the tape says, and then learning from that, and then it's moving on."
Rangers forward in a fight for his future amid new competition
The New York Rangers are preparing to start a transitional season, following the arrival of new head coach Mike Sullivan and some important adjustments to the squad. Among the players facing a decisive season is Brennan Othmann, a left winger who was selected in the first round of the 2021 NHL draft. Othmann, 22, is entering his third and final year of his contract with the Rangers, but his expiring deal is not the only reason why he will have to prove himself this season. The Canadian has had difficulties meeting the high expectations around him and although he may no longer have time to establish himself as a top-six forward, this is the best time to establish himself in a lower role. Othmann's clock is ticking as competition for roster spot grows Last season, he only recorded two assists in 22 games with the Rangers, but tallied 12 goals and eight assists in 27 games with the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. In any case, now Othmann is facing heavier competition within the squad. Both Gabe Perreault and Carey Terrance have left good impressions during preseason camps, and with both having multiple years left on their contracts, the possibility that Othmann's days on the team are numbered increases. That said, the New York team needs depth, especially in the bottom-six, and Othmann must react and respond. He has the necessary grit and physicality, and if he manages to establish himself there, he could become a solid player within the bottom lineups.
Pete Carroll opens up about an idea that everyone has regarding the biggest issue with the team's offense
The worst part about the Las Vegas Raiders offense has to be the offensive line, a position group that the Raiders didn't address really at all outside of the 2025 NFL Draft, and even those two draft picks aren't seeing the field. The offensive line hasn't been great at pass blocking for former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, but that isn't the worst part of the unit's game. They can't run block at all, which is why Ashton Jeanty isn't having much success. And that could be due to the changes the Raiders staff made to the offensive line. The right guys aren't playing. "We want to see JPJ [Jackson Powers-Johnson] come back to action and get back involved. In all phases of it, we have to get off the football better and make more of the running game. There's not enough happening there to act on the play pass game, and we're just not getting enough. So, we just got to keep working it. We got the guys we got, and we need to keep developing and keep building on it. We're working at the right guard spot. Our young guys, they'll get their turn sometime, but they're not ready yet. So, we have what we have, and we've got to make our guys do better, and we've got to fit it together better than we have." The Raiders' offensive line has much deeper issues at hand JPJ didn't start the game against the Washington Commanders this last week, despite being healthy and recovered from his concussion. Carroll noted that the decision between him and Cappa came down to the continuity and that the Raiders were on a short week. But Cappa is not very good. The former Cincinnati Bengals guard led the league in blown blocks with 40 and led the league in pressures allowed last season. Last year, Jackson Powers-Johnson was one of the best young centers in the league. He had his rookie moments, but by the end of the season, he had some moments where he was pancaking defenders in the second level on run plays. His move to center last season is when he really started to take over, rather than when he was playing guard. This offseason, the Raiders decided to not only move him away from the center position but to put him in a position battle at the guard spot. JPJ may be the second-best offensive lineman on the team, and yet, the Raiders have something weird going on with him. Yes, he was hurt, but he recovered, and there is no reason why he shouldn't have started. By the end of last season, the Raiders' offensive line really started to put things together. So, why would Pete Carroll's son, Brennan Carroll, mess all of that up as the offensive line coach? Something's going on with the offensive line, and it's truly affecting the entire offense. Yes, the unit isn't very good, but they are making it even harder on themselves by playing the wrong players. When your defense is bad, offense is bad, and special teams are bad, it's hard to beat anyone. Add that into the fact that the offensive line is atrocious and winning football games looks impossible, despite the fact they've already won one against the New England Patriots. window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-365').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-365').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');
CJ West and Mykel Williams injuries add to 49ers' D-line woes
The San Francisco 49ers suffered more than one setback in their win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. While Nick Bosa's season-ending ACL tear was the most significant injury for the team, it wasn't the only one along the defensive front. Head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Monday that defensive lineman CJ West broke his thumb and will undergo surgery on Tuesday. Despite the injury, there remains a chance West could play in the 49ers' Week 4 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, depending on what he can do—if anything—in practice this week. "I don't know exactly how he did it, but he broke his thumb," Shanahan explained during his conference call. "That's why he is needing surgery. He'll have a chance, they say. We'll see how it goes this week, but he'll have a chance at the end of the week with a cast. "And if not, he should be good the following week. But we've got to see how this week goes with him." The 49ers also saw rookie defensive lineman Mykel Williams briefly leave Sunday's game with a wrist injury in the second quarter. He returned before halftime, but Shanahan listed him as day-to-day heading into Wednesday's practice. With Bosa sidelined for the season, the health of West and Williams will be pivotal as San Francisco leans on its young defensive front to maintain pressure on opposing offenses. Shanahan praised the group's resilience after Bosa exited against the Cardinals. "We needed guys to step it up to play along with Nick, and now that he's out, you need them that much more," Shanahan said. "But I had definitely been happy with those guys. I think they've done better each week. "I thought Mykel had a really good game yesterday. I think [DE Bryce] Huff's done some real good things, [DE] Sam [Okuayinonu], all our edge players, I think have been contributing, and hopefully, they continue to get better throughout this year." Click here to read all of Shanahan's injury updates from Monday's conference call.
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