The Minnesota Vikings can probably bring Sam Darnold back to the team, though only if he is willing to take a little less than market value.

There’s two years difference in the ages of “Goosebumps: The Vanishing” stars Jayden Bartels and Sam McCarthy. That was a small enough gap between them that they could play twins in the new season of the anthology series based on the popular R.L. Stine books.

Should the Vikings pay Darnold after his (mostly) excellent season? Or should they go with McCarthy and spend that money at other positions?

That was before quarterback guru Kevin O'Connell arrived in Minnesota. He's made the Vikings a dream destination for any quarterback looking for a change of scenery, including Fields, who named Minnesota one of his four preferred destinations in a trade last year.

"I would say most likely, he's played his final game in Minnesota," Schultz said on The Herd. In the caption he posted with the video of the segment, he said he has "a hard time seeing (Darnold) back in Minnesota" and that "J.J. McCarthy is the future."

Sam Darnold threw every football fan for a loop ... Before they make that decision though, they’ll keep McCarthy in the forefront. He’s the player they were always going to build around ...

McCarthy has undergone two knee surgeries, repairing a torn meniscus that knocked him out for the season. The former national championship-winning passer, however, is back on the field doing QB drills, Adofo-Mensah said ( via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert ), with the GM indicating the 2024 No. 10 overall pick is on schedule.

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not say much when asked about the team's upcoming decision to make on QB Sam Darnold.

But I can't sit here and tell you I know anything for certain." Sam Darnold (14) was set to be a short-term bridge to J.J. McCarthy, but a season-ending McCarthy injury and largely spectacular ...

The Minnesota Vikings’ Wild Card loss last Monday night was one of the most astonishing cases of Bright Light Syndrome in recent memory. Sam Darnold

In his breakdown of the top 50 free agents available this offseason, ESPN's Matt Bowen ranks Darnold at No. 6, some 26 spots ahead of the next QB on the list (Pittsburgh's Justin Fields, which underscores just how barren this market is under center). He then estimates that Darnold could receive something in the nine figures:

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold just put together the best season of his seven-year NFL career. After struggling with the New York Jets, who drafted him third overall in 2018, and bouncing around with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers,