Vikings plan for Sam Darnold in 2024 has potentially been revealed

Shortly after it was revealed that Kirk Cousins was heading south to become a member of the Atlanta Falcons, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision to sign former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold in free agency.

With Darnold shifting into more of a backup role during his last two NFL seasons, most have assumed he will continue down this career path with the Vikings. Some have even given him the "bridge" quarterback label.

Despite his lack of starts during the last two years, Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have made an effort to make it seem like the team is prepared to roll into the 2024 season with Darnold as their No. 1 quarterback. Well, that balloon of possiblity might have been popped on Monday.

Minnesota Vikings owner says team has a QB plan and Sam Darnold is "part of it"

On Monday at the NFL owners meetings, Vikings co-owner Mark Wilf was interviewed by NFL Media's Tom Pelissero and Steve Wyche, and he had the following to say about the team's quarterback situation heading into this year's NFL Draft.

"Well, we love Sam Darnold, but when it comes to the quarterback position, it's certainly critical. Kwesi and coach O'Connell are working hard. We've got a plan, and Sam Darnold's part of it.

We're excited he's in the building, and we're excited we have two first-round picks. So, we'll see where it all goes. We have a lot of flexibility, and we'll see what happens."

Not exactly a gigantic boost of confidence about Darnold's role with Minnesota next season from Wilf. At least the Vikings' new signal-caller can be happy that he's expected to be a part of the team's quarterback plan for the 2024 campaign.

Wilf basically confirmed Darnold is going to be Minnesota's bridge quarterback for 2024 without officially confirming it. The Vikings owner knows the work his front office has been putting in this offseason and he couldn't help but smile when talking to Pelissero and Wyche about the team having two first-round picks this year.

What Wilf alluded to on Monday shouldn't really come as a surprise, though. Despite some trying to convince themselves that Minnesota could potentially help Darnold reach his full potential next season, most viewed his arrival as an immediate sign that the team would be drafting a quarterback in April with an early-round selection.

Whoever the Vikings end up adding to their quarterback room during this year's NFL Draft, the team would probably like the young signal-caller to sit on the sidelines for at least a handful of games next season before throwing him into the fire.

So, even if Minnesota manages to trade into the top five to get a quarterback in April, we should still expect to see Darnold in the team's starting lineup next season for at least a few games, especially since he's, you know, part of the plan.

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