COMMITTED: Vikings have gone all-in on J.J. McCarthy, add $80.1 million, former All-Pro WR

Despite another brutal exit in the first round of the playoffs, Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah feels the franchise has “laid the foundation for a really competitive, sustained team.”

Whether that team will feature Sam Darnold at quarterback in 2025 remains an unsolved mystery.

Neither the GM nor head coach Kevin O’Connell has committed to Darnold publicly since the season ended on Jan. 13, making it seem more and more likely that No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy is preparing to take the reins. If that’s the case, the Vikings will want to surround their 22-year-old QB with as much talent — and protection — as possible.

Back in October, the Vikings were named a potential landing spot for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp at the NFL trade deadline. The Rams ended up keeping Kupp for this year’s playoff run, but he could be made available again at the start of the new league year on March 12.

Per Jacob Camenker of USA TODAY: “Of course, the Vikings have already made (Justin) Jefferson the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, so they may not want to get another high-cost veteran at the position. … Kevin O’Connell has also worked with Kupp in Los Angeles, so if their connection is strong enough, Minnesota GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah may be willing to target Kupp.”

Admittedly, this is a bit of a stretch, but the Vikings have a ton of projected cap space and limited draft capital for 2025. They have some big-name free agents to address — notably Darnold, running back Aaron Jones, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and safety Cam Bynum — but could you imagine a potential passing attack featuring Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Kupp and T.J. Hockenson? McCarthy would be set up to take the NFL by storm.

In a perfect world, the Vikings could land Kupp without having to trade for him. The former first-team All-Pro is currently mulling over his future with the Rams, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and the Rams could find themselves in a bind over Kupp’s $29.7 million cap hit in 2025. With Puka Nacua blossoming into their featured wide receiver, the Rams could designate Kupp as a post-June 1 cut, which would clear $15 million in cap space.

Whether Kupp shakes free as discounted trade asset or free agent, the Vikings should be interested with an eye on going all-in on McCarthy’s first season as the starter.