If they give Darnold the money he is going to want ( 40 mil or more ) they will be back in the same boat they were with Cousins, unable to pay for quality players to fill in the OF line and defense. They do have McCarthy under contract for the next 3 yrs with 1 yr option, I believe around 4-6 mil/yr. Fill in the Team around McCarthy and the Vikings could be contenders for at least the next 3/4 yrs.
They will have approx 76 mil in cap space and i do believe he may take a discount (25-30/yr) to stay with the franchise that turned his career around and who's making him the 3rd overall pick he was supposed to be. Dudes got the arm, the size, the ability to scramble, the whole package..(Needs to learn when not to force it and throw it away more I must say)..
Now if the vikes decide to do him a little dirty and franchise him he's going to get 40 mil for a year and possibly trade bait mid-season next year.. He hasn't proven enough to be a 40 million dollar qb in 1 single year, but rich men like to gamble, cough cough Cousins.. Arthur blank was off his rocker signing cousins to that deal at his age and coming off an Achilles tear..I said all along I'd never miss him whatsoever.. Decent is his middle name at best, not consistent..
In the end, This whole situation with SD largely depends on how the playoffs go..
SKOL