Then, he delivered the bold idea: “Today was the first day where I was like, ‘Wow, they might have actually found their QB, and maybe they should think about trading J.J. McCarthy.’”

Indeed, letting Darnold walk or retaining his services for 2025 will be a heated conversation when the playoffs conclude. But truth be told, Darnold may have to win a Super Bowl with the Vikings to keep him attached to the roster.

Let’s be realistic — the Vikings won’t trade J.J. McCarthy. He’s their future — not a good 17 games from Darnold.

Verdict: Nopedy nope.

The Nopedy Nope: Vikings CB Byron Murphy is sick of hearing about the Detroit Lions.

Murphy said late last week before his team chipped off the Atlanta Falcons by 21 points on Sunday.

And after the win over Atlanta last weekend, Murphy renewed his beef with Detroit, this time chatting with Tom Pelissero down on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium. “Y’all need to start talking about us. We tired of the Detroit talk. We gonna get to that game eventually. But right now, just focus on every single Sunday, and we’ll see them soon. Talk about the Vikings, because we on one right now,” Murphy told Pelissero.

Murphy simply doesn’t want to talk about them anymore, so ….

Verdict: Nopedy nope.

The Nopedy Nope: Stephon Gilmore’s hamstring injury two weeks ago wasn’t that big of a deal.

Nopedy nope.

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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.