Questions Answered: Daniel Jones’ Malarkey, Deonte Banks in 2023, Za’Darius Smith
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the March 7th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Daniel Jones’ Malarkey, Deonte Banks in 2023, Za’Darius Smith
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Kirk Cousins is getting a bag for his next extension after the Daniel Jones contract, isn’t he?
A: Yes, sir or ma’am, he is.
Now, the question becomes whether that’s with the Vikings. It is unclear as of March 7th if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is enamored with handing Cousins a contract north of $37.5 million per season. On Monday, the New Orleans Saints handed Derek Carr a contract worth that figure.
One day later, Jones fetched $40 million annually.
If the Vikings want more of Cousins — again, a big “if” — they’ll have to shell out between $37 million and $42 million. Welcome to the modern NFL quarterback market.
Q: Where did all this Deonte Banks to Vikings smoke come from?
A: Mel Kiper, Daniel Jeremiah, Todd McShay, and Pro Football Focus have mock-drafted Banks to the Vikings in the last two weeks or so. He’s the new thing.
The smoke came from Brian Flores, the new defensive coordinator for the Vikings. He hasn’t spoken about Banks, but the Maryland corner perfectly fits a Flores defense.
Plus, Banks orchestrated a fabulous NFL Combine and is close to a lock to be drafted in Round 1. It might just be the Vikings who pick him.
Q: Why is there very little talk about Za’Darius Smith’s future with the Vikings?
A: The team simply has bigger fish to fry with free agency less than a week away. The Vikings are juggling possible contract extensions for Justin Jefferson, Kirk Cousins, and T.J. Hockenson while contemplating the fates of Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, C.J. Ham, and Eric Kendricks (before Monday).
Smith is critical, but folks spend their time pondering long-time Vikings. The Smith topic is crucial to the 2022 defense but probably not as much as Jefferson, Cousins, or the collective Thielen-Cook-Ham scenario.
Smith is on the Vikings roster until he’s not. He’s not a free agent.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.