Breaking: Vikings are in mixed thoughts to extend contract or to sign a $27.3 m star

The Minnesota Vikings needed to find a new quarterback.

Kirk Cousins left them in a tough spot, as he refused to waive his no-trade clause last season because he allegedly wanted to stay in Minnesota, and then he just left in free agency.

The Vikings knew that they had to turn to a younger player in the NFL Draft, but with all the uncertainty regarding prospects, they also needed to add a veteran.

That’s why they gave Sam Darnold a very lucrative one-year deal, knowing that he would be one of the best stopgaps in the league.

Fast forward to today, and it seems like they now have even bigger plans for him.

According to a report by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Vikings’ coaching staff believes Darnold has “untapped potential” (via The Purple Persuasion)

They think that Darnold has never had a supporting cast as good as this, and they think he might even be their starter for the entire season.

The Vikings reportedly think that Darnold could thrive in Kevin O’Connell’s offensive system, and that would allow J.J. McCarthy to sit behind him for a full year and learn the ropes of the game.

Darnold is not that old, and he did enter the league with high praise and expectations.

The talent is most definitely there, but the consistency and numbers haven’t been.

Perhaps he can finally thrive in Minnesota and prove that scouts were right about him all along, even though it took him longer than expected.