Trade for Sam Darnold?

Giving a 4th for a young QB2 with NFL experience, who still has plenty of time to develop, is a lot different than spending the #3 overall pick on a guy and then giving up on him after a couple seasons. One could be a good investment; the other, we know was not because of how the situation was handled. It's not like Darnold was surrounded with a bunch of talent and good coaches. Seems kind of like he's the fall guy at this point.

The problem with that thought Funky, is what is considered "failure" for the Wilfs? I would think that for many fans, just getting to the playoffs and losing in the Wild Card Round or getting spanked in the Divisional Round is a failure, given all the expectations that have come from Cousins and "running it back" with Zimmer's favorite defensive stars in Hunter, Barr and company....

...but the Wilfs may view getting to the playoffs as success, even if Zimmer's teams never achieve the ultimate goal. I believe I remember reading not too long ago that the Wilf's believe the key to the Super Bowl is to keep knocking on the playoff door because if you keep doing that, eventually one of the years you get in, you could get hot and make a magical run in January. 

So in terms of QB2, just getting to January may just be good enough for Rick and Zimmer to continue down the current path of every-other-year playoff appearances...while Viking fans continue to utter the most famous 4-word phrase in the Zimmer era, "there's always next season...."

Playing poorly on a bad team is not evidence that a QB is good, yet too often people use it like it is. Rosen playing horribly on two teams that sucked doesn't make him an intriguing option at QB, and neither does Darnold struggling last year on a bad Jets team.  That is evidence that they aren't good QBs, yet people claim the opposite.

Good QBs make even bad teams better.  From that list, Allen was a terrible passer his rookie season and his team lost a lot of games because of it.  When he became a better, the team got better.  Jackson took over a 4-5 Ravens team and got them to the playoffs his rookie season.  Even Mayfield who was a clear upgrade over what Cleveland had before he got there made a perennial bottom 5 team into a team that was no longer consistently competing for the #1 overall pick.   

With those three QBs you saw signs of them having the ability to make the team better even when they weren't necessarily a  finished product.  With Darnold I saw a little of that early on, but last year I didn't really see anything good.  At one point I think there was hope Darnold would turn into a good QB, now I think his ceiling is a QB who is good enough to not lose his team games, but not win them any either.  The Jets broke him.  

 

Jackson's rookie year the team was absolutely not built around him.  Allen was already making his team better as a 2nd year QB before his team ever traded for Diggs.  

Yes Darnold had a worse team, but that isn't the point though.  The point is that Darnold playing poorly on a bad team is not evidence that he is a viable option at QB.  It is evidence he is not one.  

I will say maybe not Mahomes. We saw how he struggled in the Super Bowl. Andy Reid built a fast group around him to fit his strengths. I see him as a river boat gambler. With a perfect play caller. That running 20 yards back and just throwing it up under pressure might not have worked on any team. Those throws could very well be interceptions with lesser talent around him. If early on he would of had no WRs and a terrible play caller, I don't know if he would be what he is today. Going to the right team with a plan for you is key to most guys at QB development early.

Not disputing Mahomes as a talent. Reid though has turned water into wine before. Kevin Kolb, AJ Feeley both sucked and he made them look decent and got draft picks for them, even Alex Smith was bust material and he turned his career around. Yes Mahomes got him over the hump, but let's not act like Andy Reid teams haven't been damn good many times. McNabb took them there. It was mutual Reid needed a great to finally win one but he had gotten there and had a great chance to win without Mahomes once. We will never know but I think how Reid handled him by not starting him early and building the team around his strengths, allowed Mahomes to reach his potential. The potential he was blessed with, but was helped realized by how Reid approached it. Many guys come into this league with talent some never find it. Coaching is key for QBs IMO.

It is one of those things that is subjective for sure, since we will never know for sure. He good we know that so that is all that matters LOL! See Watson went to a bad team. If KC would have taken him his career may be different. Well until now with all he is facing.