Vikings Rumors: Cutting a Player, Lindsay Lohan a Fan, and MIN’s New QB Target
Even if we’re officially in the portion of the year when Vikings rumors are quieting down, we’ll still be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss Minnesota potentially cutting a player soon, Lindsay Lohan being a fan of what she saw from the Vikings, and a new QB target for Minnesota to consider.
Vikings Rumors: 11.20.2024
Rumor #1 — The Vikings May Soon Need to Cut a Player
Rookie outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy is healthy. Last week’s injury report confirmed as much. Does that mean Minnesota adds him to their roster before too long?
Doing so would be cause for some excitement. After all, we’re talking about a young pass rusher who was highly-regarded going into the draft and then into the scramble to scoop up the most promising UDFAs. Putting him into what is an already impressive crew of edge rushers could be a fun storyline as the season marches toward its conclusion.
The issue, of course, is that we’re working with a zero-sum game. Adding a player to the 53-man roster means subtracting a player from the 53-man roster. At 8-2, the Vikings may be reluctant to do so. Things are working reasonably well, so disrupting what has proven to be a winning formula could be foolish.
Soon, the Vikings will need to make a decision on the young defender. They opened his practice window and they’ll need to decide what to do with their rookie pass rusher.
Rumor #2 — Lindsay Lohan was Impressed by the Vikings
Put this one in the “didn’t see it coming” category.
Appearing on Jimmy Fallon’s show, Lindsay Lohan was shown a clip of Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus doing the elaborate handshake from The Parent Trap. “It was just the coolest thing,” Lohan begins. She later says that it’s “so cool” and appears to give the players some props for mastering “not an easy handshake.”
Lately, Camryn Bynum has developed a reputation for not only being a playmaker but also for being someone who does some masterful celebrations. Recently, he re-created the infamous break dancing routine that went viral in the Olympics (as he was quick to point out). Oh, and another thing: Bynum noticed the Lohan clip and sent along some emojis to express his excitement about her response.
Finally, consider where Bynum finds himself when it comes to his pending free agency. While plenty of people think that his return to Minnesota is a foregone conclusion, the negotiation could end up being complicated. The rumored price is high.
Rumor #3 — Minnesota Has a (Potential) New Target at Quarterback
The Daniel Jones era in New York appears to be over.
Ian Rapoport shared the word: “Sources: The #Giants are benching QB Daniel Jones, officially moving on from their starter. Out of the bye week, with the team 2-8, Jones now heads to the bench in what the team has said would be a football decision.” Mike Garafolo offered a bit more insight: “Deemed a football decision, it also protects the team from next year’s $23 million injury guarantee.”
Stunningly, Jones isn’t just the backup. He’s actually the backup to the backup. In other words, the QB3.
Tom Pelissero confirmed as much while quote-tweeting the New York Giants’ official media. The update that gets passed along from the Giants: “Coach Daboll: We are making a quarterback switch from Daniel Jones to Tommy DeVito. After evaluating and watching a lot of tape, that’s the reason we are going with Tommy. Drew Lock will be the backup.”
Why does this matter for the Vikings? A few reasons. For starters, Jones lives in infamy for recent Vikings history given that his team downed the 13-4 Vikings in the Wild Card round of the 2022 playoffs. To begin 2024, the Vikings got the better of the Giants, largely due to a dominant defensive day. Jones finished Week 1 having gone 22/42 for 186 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs.
More importantly, perhaps, is that Daniel Jones could — could — end up being an option to backup J.J. McCarthy in 2025. He’ll almost certainly be cut and will likely be looking at backup work. The man has good size and athleticism; he has a history of being a top pick (No. 6 in 2019) and has now been deemed a draft bust after playing for a brutal franchise.
Does that sound familiar at all? Does that sound like the kind of quarterback Minnesota could be interested in working with next season as they continue overhauling their QB spot? Kevin O’Connell has a soft spot for talented passers who have been written off; Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has an affinity for former highly-picked players. Match made in Valhalla?
Mr. Jones is 27.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.