The Dallas Cowboys may have a surprise bidding war on their hands come next spring. When the 2024 season started, everyone pointed to the pending free agency of players such as Zack Martin, Osa Odighizuwa and DeMarcus Lawrence. Brandin Cooks was identified as a potentially key exodus as well, and fans were hopeful Rico Dowdle would prove to be a commodity.
Prior to the regular season, there were heart palpitations over the fact Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb were on the final year of their deals; the ordeals taking up most of the ink spilled over the summer. Because of that, Trey Lance’s pending free agency was a topic as well. But one name that didn’t much matter to most folks was the pending free agency of Cooper Rush.
That may have all changed. After once again proving that, although not very dynamic, Rush has what it takes to drive a talented ship toward victory. He has a ton of faults, but Rush’s quick processing and release have allowed him to once again be a long-term replacement for an injured Prescott and keep the Cowboys afloat.
After Sunday night’s 26-24 win that knocked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of the NFC South driver seat, despite his own club being eliminated from the playoff chase earlier in the day, Rush has secured the title of capable backup.
Rush is now 4-3 on the season and 9-4 overall as an NFL starter. The seven-year vet has now become a quarterback teams can win with, and teams that are breeding young QBs of various expectations love QBs like Rush.
So much so, Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department identified Rush as a replacement for soon-to-be Pro Bowler Sam Darnold in Minnesota.
The big question facing Minnesota’s front office this offseason is what to do with Sam Darnold, who has played well enough to earn a new contract and be a starter in 2025. However, the organization also invested a first-round pick in J.J. McCarthy last spring.
If the club lets Darnold walk to make way for McCarthy, signing Rush as a backup in free agency would be a smart move. That gives the young quarterback a good mentor, and the 31-year-old has plenty of starting experience to fill in when needed.
Darnold has been balling this year, his first with Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings. Through 15 games he’s shattered his career highs with 3,776 passing yards and 32 touchdowns to the tune of a 105.4 passer rating.
Minnesota’s situation is very interesting in that they invested a premium draft pick and the head coach is a known QB guru. Darnold, according to Spotrac, is in line for an annual salary of $35.4 million on the free agent market. At just 27 years old, the former first-round pick of the New York Jets is likely going to command a solid QB contract on the open market.
Unless he’s forced into a prove-it deal, he’ll land at least a three-year run which means a contract value of at least $100 million.