The Vikings trading for Stafford would be an all-in move for a team that feels they’re a quarterback away from contention.
Minnesota got far with Darnold, winning 14 regular-season games before its deficiencies became apparent in the playoffs.
Stafford’s Rams ran roughshod over the Vikings’ offensive line, which surrendered an NFL playoff record nine sacks on Darnold. The Vikings have ample cap space — a projected $65 million — to fortify the offensive front.
However, landing Stafford in a trade on his current contract would require some cap magic — either ironing out his $49.7 million cap hit for the 2025 season onto future years or restructuring several contracts to create all the possible cap space to support that cap hit and build the rest of the roster.
It’s unlikely the Vikings would sign on for that and would likely only pursue Stafford if it meant he’d take a more affordable contract.
It’s a similar dilemma they face with Darnold, who, after proving he’s more than a capable starting quarterback in the league, is poised to be paid like one.
There’s a price the Vikings are willing to pay either quarterback, but it’s likely well below the rate they can find elsewhere from teams more desperate for competent quarterback play.
J.J. McCarthy Remains the Vikings’ Future/Plans
When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell took over as the Vikings’ brass in 2022, they strived to remain competitive while also moving the team into the future.
Years of retreading a core that made an NFC Championship appearance had led to bloated veteran contracts that were not worth their weight on the cap sheet.
The Vikings moved on from franchise names like Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Danielle Hunter and, most notably, Kirk Cousins.
Last year, the Vikings surprised the league by exceeding their preseason win total over/under of just 6.5 games. It was a testament to the coaching staff and Adofo-Mensah’s first true free agency class he was able to sign without the limitations of Cousins’ contract.
He signed eventual Pro Bowl edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard along with inside linebacker Blake Cashman, all of whom became monumental pieces to Brian Flores’ defense that improved dramatically from the 2023 season. There was also the cap space to sign Aaron Jones and late arrival Stephon Gilmore in August.
The Vikings did all of this despite eating $70 million in dead cap from paying off outstanding bonuses owed to Cousins, Hunter and other veterans they moved on from.
In a few weeks, Minnesota will truly see what those sacrifices mean.
The Vikings have in the ballpark of $65 million in cap space to splurge in free agency, the most in franchise history. There are plenty of holes to fill, but the new Vikings brass has planned for this offseason for years with McCarthy at the epicenter of their plans.
As McCarthy’s contract averages out to just $5.5 million a season through 2027, Minnesota can spend elsewhere to build a juggernaut roster around him.
Any deviations from the plan to eventually make McCarthy the future franchise quarterback would be merely an act of desperation.
That’s not to say it couldn’t happen. O’Connell received a contract extension from the Vikings, who have yet to reach the same agreement for Adofo-Mensah. The general manager could start making rash decisions with his job potentially on the line.
However, the expectation is that Adofo-Mensah will navigate this highly anticipated offseason and receive an extension in the coming months.
