NFC Notes: Sam Darnold, Ben Johnson, Bears, Lions, Vikings

Bears

Bears’ recently hired HC Ben Johnson said his message to the team is to be focused on winning “now.” 

“Our mission starting this spring is to win and to win now. I get goosebumps right now just thinking about being the head coach of the Chicago Bears. I know exactly what this role and this responsibility requires, and I cannot wait to get to work,” Johnson said, via PFT. 

Johnson plans on building their scheme around QB Caleb Williams. He explained today’s game is “quarterback-driven.”

“Modern football in the NFL is quarterback-driven,” Johnson said.

Lions

Lions GM Brad Holmes was asked about extending the contract of S Kerby Joseph, who is heading into the final year of his rookie deal in 2025.

“Yeah, I mean, again, that’s on the docket in terms of – to be looked at and discussed,” Holmes said of an extension for Joseph, via the team website. “We know where he’s at from an eligibility (standpoint). Look, he’s an All-Pro player, I mean, I don’t know how you don’t make the Pro Bowl with nine interceptions, whatever that is, but he’s an All-Pro player and he’s another one that’s gotten better and better, so he’s one that has proven that he’s a Detroit Lion.”

“He fits our culture,” Holmes said of Joseph. “It’s hard to find ballhawk guys that will tackle like how he does, and I think that’s what makes him unique, so again, we haven’t had any intense dialogue about that yet, but obviously we want to keep the good players here.”

• Per Matt Zenitz, the Lions are naming former NFL LB Shaun Dion Hamilton as their new LB coach after he has spent the past two seasons with Detroit as their assistant LB coach.
• Lions WR Jameson Williams was fined $25,325 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (obscene gestures).

Vikings

Vikings QB Sam Darnold enters the offseason as the top quarterback available on the open market unless he agrees to an extension with Minnesota. Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post cites a league source with salary-cap expertise who indicated some teams think this season was the “absolute ceiling” for Darnold. 

“Going back to Darnold’s draft day, everybody does think highly of his skill set, and that will always help him,” the source said. “But there are some teams that are thinking, ‘We just saw the absolute ceiling, given how good the circumstances were around him.’ There will be some trepidation, but Darnold’s free agency is the greatest timing in the world because last year we had six quarterbacks go in the top 12 of the draft and now we’ll get two in the first round. That is massively beneficial to him.” 

Darnold closed the season with some tough performances, including completing 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards in their season-finale loss to the Lions and 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards in their Wild Card loss to the Rams. One AFC scout thinks Darnold’s last two performances are more indicative of Darnold’s level than the rest of his season.  

“The last two games are more of an indication of what Sam Darnold actually is,” the scout said. “I think the Vikings did a really good job of trying to protect him, and I think he was rejuvenated. The problem New York has is it’s not just the quarterback — it’s the pieces around him. How are they going to fix the offensive line again? If you can’t run the ball, it’s going to be very hard for an average quarterback to play really good football. Setting up play-actions and bootlegs and not just straight drop-back [passing] makes him a much better quarterback.”

Another anonymous salary cap expert told Dunleavy that there’s bound to be some “desperate teams” in the market for a quarterback. 

“Because of the weak draft class, there are going to be some desperate teams,” the expert said. “Look at the Raiders. They were trying to trade up for Jayden Daniels however they possibly could. They don’t, and the whole regime gets fired. This is Darnold’s best opportunity to cash in. You can make an argument to sign one more one-year deal after the way he finished, but the odds he stays healthy and puts up those stats is close to zero.”