NFC Notes: Sam Darnold, Jordan Love, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Lions

Lions S Kerby Joseph said that Rams QB Matthew Stafford is the one to blame for circulating rumors that he is a dirty player after on-field mics caught Stafford calling Joseph “dirty as (expletive)” for the hit and telling him, “I’ve seen it. It’s been on tape.”

“The people complaining about dirty hits, they’re just soft,” Joseph said, via RamsWire.com. “They don’t know football. I really feel like I got that narrative because old boy want to come and talk crazy because he’s mic’d up and stuff like that. I really feel like that ain’t nothing, bro. Because first off, if you’ve seen it all on film, why’d you throw the ball across the middle? You know I own that part of the field, so don’t come across the middle. If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t catch the ball.”

• Lions OC Ben Johnson says he was a lot more prepared for the types of questions they would ask during his head coaching interviews and told HC Dan Campbell that they went great but he is focused on defeating the Commanders in their upcoming matchup. (Eric Woodyard)

Packers

Packers HC Matt LaFleur immediately reiterated his confidence in QB Jordan Love following the team’s first-round exit.

“Do I think he can play better? Absolutely,” LaFleur said, via The Athletic. “Do I think I can help him out and be better? Absolutely. Do I think we can play better around him? Absolutely.”

LaFleur believes that Love will be able to recapture the magic from his first year as a starter that saw him perform as an MVP-candidate level.

“I love Jordan Love and how he competes and the work he puts in and I think he’s going to get better and better and better,” LaFleur said. “And certainly there’s some lessons along the way, some tough lessons, any time you end up in defeat. That’s hard to deal with. But he is very critical of himself and he does such a great job of learning from every experience, so I think through this we’ll all be better for it.”

Packers TE Tucker Kraft is also a firm believer in Love and said that he has the talent and leadership abilities needed to be the face of the franchise.

“He’s just a killer,” Kraft said. “Jordan has that mentality. He has that mindset. I’m not sure I’ve seen someone more confident in the people around him because of the leadership that he provides for the team, that serving leadership. He’s going to lead from the front. He’s going to bring everybody up around him. He expects a lot of us and he shows that with the way he puts the ball in certain positions, whether he’s throwing it down the red line to the wideout or he’s just propping the ball up on one of my shoulders and giving me a chance to drop-step, get vertical. It’s just about the way he trusts us to perform. We’ve got to get on his rhythm.”

Vikings

• When taking a look at Vikings’ impending free-agent QB Sam Darnold‘s market, Joel Corry of CBS Sports could see Darnold receiving a contract similar to Packers QB Jordan Love‘s $55 million annual salary at four-year, $220 million deal. 
• Corry thinks Darnold returning to Minnesota is “out the window” because of how their 27-9 Wildcard loss to the Rams and the organization will stick with their original plan to start J.J. McCarthy. 
• Corry doesn’t believe using the franchise tag on Darnold to trade him is out of the question because there’s a possibility Minnesota wouldn’t recoup a 2026 compensatory draft pick by allowing him to depart as a free agent, which depends on how aggressive they are in the open market. 
• Corry could also see the Vikings be interested in pursuing a team-friendly contract similar to Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield‘s three-year, $100 million deal to get a “modest” cap figure for 2025. 
• However, Corry is confident Darnold is seeking more than Mayfield’s $33 million annual figure given the average salary for starting quarterbacks is $40,887,398 per year. 
• Corry also points out that Darnold’s 2024 season compares to Falcons QB Kirk Cousins‘ averages. With that, Corry writes it’s reasonable to see Darnold demand a similar four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed. 
• Corry writes that factors working in Darnold’s favor this offseason is he’s the best quarterback on an expiring contract and the upcoming draft class at his position is a lot weaker than last year’s.