The Minnesota Vikings have a problem: Sam Darnold has almost been too good this season, a columnist for The Athletic writes.
Anyone else losing track of what day it is? Between NFL on Wednesdays and Saturdays, endless food and end-of-year chaos, it’s a complete blur (and somehow I’m also already out of AA batteries for my toddler boys’ new toys). The holidays really do come with a time warp; add in all the unsolicited life advice from the elder family members, and — yeah, it’s a lot. Blessed for sure, but a lot.
With that, it’s great to be back here with you, just two weeks away from the postseason — and with plenty still to sort out. Here’s what I’m hearing around the league:
• The Vikings’ offseason options with Darnold.
• What the Deshaun Watson contract restructuring means — and doesn’t mean — for Cleveland.
• Lesson No. 1 when it comes to stopping Josh Allen.
• No decision yet for the Giants — though coach and GM aren’t a package deal.
• “The ‘perfect play’ might be in your playbook, but in real time …” A question every owner needs to ask head-coaching candidates.
• Patriots vs. Chargers: very different teams playing for very different stakes.
• “Has Tom ever done anything on a small scale?” How Brady will shape the Raiders’ future.
• Saquon’s record chase and the old man helping it along.
First, let’s declare Darnold the “Story of the Year”
“$10 million for Sam Darnold?!” That’s the text I got from an NFL general manager when the Minnesota Vikings signed Darnold in March, after Kirk Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons. Fast-forward nine months, and Darnold is having the best season of his career, leading the Vikings to a 13-2 record. They spent a first-round pick on J.J. McCarthy last spring and Darnold is in for a big payday in March. Despite that, after conversations with a team source, one thing is clear: The Vikings want Darnold back in Minnesota for 2025.
While the original plan was for McCarthy to slowly develop into the starting quarterback while Darnold was there to hold the rookie’s place, McCarthy’s injury changed things. Now, the Vikings have a problem — Darnold has been almost too good (not in a bad way, but in a “this is now complicated” way). McCarthy hasn’t played since August, and realistically he won’t be fully in the mix until spring at the earliest. He’s around the building and with the team constantly but he hasn’t been medically cleared.
So, what’s the move? One option on the table: the franchise tag. It’s pricey (more than $40 million) but it buys time. It would give McCarthy another year to develop from the bench, or at least set up a real competition. (There’s nothing wrong with McCarthy sitting — think about what the Packers did with Jordan Love.) And it would give the Vikings a chance to do a shorter-term deal that’s more cap-friendly, yet also gives Darnold similar money to what he’d get on the open market.
These are good problems to have, yet it’s not an easy call. More importantly, before the organization makes any decision at quarterback they need to get head coach Kevin O’Connell signed up for years to come. They took a gamble by not signing him with two years left on his deal. O’Connell has since orchestrated another winning season, reviving another quarterback in Darnold, and is expected to garner Coach of the Year votes. The expectation is a new deal could happen soon. Otherwise, O’Connell is a lame duck in 2025 and will be in high demand. More good problems in Minnesota.
Deshaun Watson’s restructured deal gives the Browns a little more financial flexibility. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Cleveland sticking with Watson — and gaining some flexibility
The Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson have made some tweaks to his contract, and it’s not about cutting his pay or changing his salary structure — it’s all about managing the financial impact, according to a league source. Watson, who’s been back in the building rehabbing from his Achilles injury, still has $92 million fully guaranteed for the 2025 and ’26 seasons. Those hefty cap hits remain untouched.
The restructure gives the Browns a little breathing room by spreading potential dead money into additional void years. Instead of facing one massive cap hit in 2027 if Watson sticks through ’26, they’ve spread that cost over multiple years. It’s a smart move to manage the cap, but it doesn’t change their long-term commitment to the quarterback.
That said, while the Browns are financially locked into Watson for the next few seasons, I’ve been told this move doesn’t rule out the possibility of adding competition to the QB room down the line.
How do you stop Josh Allen?
On paper, the New York Jets visiting the red-hot Bills in Buffalo might not seem like the most exciting matchup, but don’t be fooled — this is a big game for the Bills. A win locks them into the second seed, which would give them the luxury of either resting their starters or keeping things as vanilla as possible in their final regular-season game.
Meanwhile, teams gearing up for a potential showdown with the Bills in January are asking the same question: How do you stop Josh Allen? The first rule, according to opposing defensive coordinators I spoke with this week: Don’t let him scramble to his right. He’s one of the strongest quarterbacks in the NFL, with a potent stiff arm, and when he avoids the rush and escapes to his right, it almost always leads to a big play. (Just think back to every Bills highlight you’ve watched.)
The days of banking on Allen to make mistakes are long gone. This season, he’s thrown 25 touchdowns to just five interceptions — a massive improvement compared to the 47 turnovers he racked up over a three-year stretch earlier in his career. Back then, those interceptions often came in the red zone, killing drives and taking points off the board. Now? The Bills are third in red zone scoring, converting nearly 70 percent of their trips into touchdowns.
What’s more, he’s spreading the ball around more than ever. Eight players have at least 27 targets this season, making it nearly impossible for defenses to key in on just one guy.
So if you want to stop Josh Allen, you’ve got to play disciplined and tackle well. And, whatever you do, don’t let him escape to his right.
Brian Daboll has two more games to make his case to stick with the Giants. (Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
A Giant decision yet to be made
New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch haven’t made a final decision about the futures of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. In October, Mara voiced his support for the duo, who were hired together in 2022, but a lot has changed since. It’s been a long, difficult season. A source close to Mara said earlier this week that the owner plans on sticking to his word, but he will still sit down with both Schoen and Daboll after the season to figure out what went wrong in 2024.
This season has been a roller coaster for the Giants, to say the least. Schoen and Daboll showed promise early on, but the team’s struggles down the stretch have given ownership a lot to think about. Around the league, there’s growing chatter that the Giants might move on from Daboll while Schoen continues to operate like he’ll still be around for 2025. Though I’m told that while there’s a lot of speculation right now, no decision has been made.
One thing that’s become clear from those close to the situation: Schoen and Daboll are not seen as a package deal. Though they arrived from Buffalo together and have contracts that align, ownership is evaluating them separately.
If the Giants lose their final two games, they’re guaranteed to finish with the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. We’ll find out soon who will be making the pick and if ownership will give Daboll a chance to work his “Josh Allen magic” with a rookie QB.
A question NFL owners need to be asking coaching candidates
With games feeling closer than ever this season, the ability to manage critical moments has become a separator between winning and losing teams. As the coaching carousel starts to spin over the next few weeks, one question that absolutely needs to come up in interviews is: What’s your game-management plan?
It’s not just about being a genius with X’s and O’s, it’s about how a coach handles the chaos of game day. Clock management, deciding when to go for it on fourth down, deciding when to challenge a play or when to call a timeout — these split-second decisions can make or break a season.
One NFL head coach put it perfectly during a recent conversation: “The ‘perfect play’ might be in your playbook, but in real time, it’s about responding to the situation in front of you. Down, distance, field position, time on the clock, knowing when to call time out, even momentum — all of it dictates what happens next. It’s hard to call plays and manage the game at the same time. It moves fast.”
When we’re watching games from the outside, without the pressure of making those calls, it’s easy to see how the best teams adjust on the fly — whether it’s dealing with injuries, surprising performances, or just the flow of the game. If teams are going to hire a brilliant play caller as their head coach, they should also make sure there’s someone focused on game management to keep everything balanced. It could be the key to turning close games into wins. And fewer dumb game-management errors will definitely be good for my blood pressure.
Maye vs. Herbert, and two teams with much at stake in different ways
Saturday’s matchup between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers has major implications for both teams, albeit for very different reasons. For the Patriots, a loss would mark a historic low in franchise history, clinching a sub-.300 win percentage in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1968 and ’69, when they were the AFL’s Boston Patriots. It’s a far cry from the dominance fans grew accustomed to during the Brady-Belichick era. New England needs to sort this out this offseason because, in Drake Maye, they have the QB!
On the other side, Justin Herbert and the Chargers have everything to play for. A win against the Patriots would secure a playoff spot. But even if they stumble, they could still sneak into the playoffs if the Colts lose to the Giants and the Dolphins fall to the Browns. It’s a high-stakes game for a team looking to solidify its spot in January. If there has been any statement made by the Chargers this year, it’s that Jim Harbaugh is a winner and ownership nailed this hire. By the way, I was told last hiring cycle that former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel absolutely nailed his interview with the Chargers. In fact, he was all set to get the job if Harbaugh decided to back out. Now, in this upcoming cycle, Vrabel is the guy every team with a coaching vacancy is lining up to talk to (though he legally can’t start meeting with teams because he’s considered a Browns employee).
Raiders owner Mark Davis is set to give Tom Brady plenty of influence over the Raiders’ operations. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
How Tom Brady’s ownership is shaping the Raiders’ future
Recently, I had a conversation with one of Tom Brady’s former teammates about Brady’s new role as a minority owner with the Las Vegas Raiders. He summed it up by saying: “Has Tom ever done anything on a small scale?”
It’s hard to argue with that. Brady has never been one to take a backseat or approach anything half-heartedly. Relentless attention to detail and a drive for excellence have defined his career, and it’s safe to say those traits will carry over to his role with the Raiders.
Mark Davis, the Raiders’ majority owner, has already hinted at the impact Brady will have, describing him as having “a huge voice” in shaping the team’s future. That influence likely won’t stop at player acquisitions or strategy — it will extend to the entire organizational culture. Brady brings a winning mentality and a wealth of football knowledge, and it’s clear Davis values that expertise.
Davis is, wisely, letting the seven-time Super Bowl champion have a say in the team’s direction. With Brady involved, expect nothing less than an all-in approach.
The Lane Saquon Barkley is following
Finally, Saquon Barkley is closing in on a huge milestone; he needs to average 134 rushing yards per game over these last two weeks to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. But Dickerson isn’t just handing over that title. When asked about it, Dickerson said, “I don’t think he’ll do it.” We’ll see.
For Giants fans, though, it’s bittersweet watching Saquon dominate week after week for Philadelphia. As we know, with the Giants he never had the kind of blocking he’s getting now with the Eagles, led by right tackle Lane Johnson. After their Week 15 win over the Steelers, I caught up with Johnson while he was sitting at his locker, looking completely wiped. When I asked him how he was feeling, he just grinned and said, “Getting old sucks.”
Sure, getting older isn’t exactly a blast, but for Johnson, it hasn’t slowed him down one bit. At 34, he can make a claim to being the best offensive tackle in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, he hasn’t allowed a sack all season. He’s only given up 10 pressures and nine QB hurries, even while squaring off against some of the NFL’s top pass rushers. And here’s the wild part: According to PFF, he is among the NFL leaders in “island rate” — snaps on which he gets no help from a guard or a running back/tight end chip — and he’s been the best tackle in football this season in those “island” situations. That’s almost unheard of, yet Johnson makes it look effortless. And he’s not just a wall in pass protection, he’s a force in the run game, too. Johnson ranks in the top four for win rates in both pass and run blocking, proving he’s as well-rounded as they come.
What’s even more impressive is how this offensive line has adjusted after the retirement of Jason Kelce, their Hall of Fame center. Sure, players will tell you they miss Kelce’s leadership and brilliance, but the unit has figured things out, and a lot of that credit goes to Johnson. His steady presence has been the glue holding everything together. (Since Johnson joined the Eagles in 2013, Philadelphia has a .647 regular-season winning percentage when he’s in the lineup, versus .378 in the games he’s missed.)
As talented as the Eagles are this season, they’re no strangers to drama — honestly, sometimes it feels like they thrive on it. But Johnson has this calming, grounding presence. He’s been doing this for the last decade and has shown no signs of slowing down.
(Top photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
