One of the best rules of decision-making, particularly in sports, is this: Don’t make one until you have to. Time has a way of changing the calculus — as we have seen multiple times already this season with the Gophers men’s basketball team and how outcomes might relate to Ben Johnson’s job status — as does the accumulation of more information.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell speaks glowingly of 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy and refused to hide the pride he feels recalling Sam Darnold's first year in Minnesota's offensive system.