The Strange Jake Golday Take, Lowly QB Room, Teddy Bridgewater

Some takes are best left in Drafts, and sometimes things just don’t work out as planned. For the Minnesota Vikings’ sake, we track those items weekly in an article of “Nopey Nopes” — Vikings-themed content that is absurd, false, or didn’t unfold as expected.

This week lassoed a weird theory about rookie linebacker Jake Golday, a take on the Vikings’ quarterback room, and the state of Florida trying to flex on Teddy Bridgewater.

Vikings Offseason Debates Stretch from LB to QB

The Nopedy Nope: Drafting Jake Golday was dumb because the Vikings already have Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson.

The Ringer‘s Diante Lee retweeted a posting about Golday, captioning, “I still struggle to see how Golday is going to find an outsized role on a defense where Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel are both better versions of what he can bring to the table. Minnesota didn’t need another downhill thumper or tweener type in its LB room.”

He then noted that Minnesota’s existing linebackers won’t be around forever: “They’ll all be phased out soon, I know. Still don’t know if it justifies Golday being picked where he was.”

The tweet flummoxed Vikings fans.

The Vikings didn’t draft Golday just because they were bored. Looking ahead to 2026, Minnesota’s top linebackers from last season will be the following ages: Blake Cashman will be 30, Andrew Van Ginkel will be 31, and Eric Wilson will be 32. Additionally, Cashman and Van Ginkel are both set to enter free agency after this season.

This situation is momentous. Three key linebackers are already on the wrong side of 30, and two of them could be leaving next March. From this perspective, it makes perfect sense why the Vikings would want to draft a linebacker early in April.

Lee’s point that Golday could fit into Brian Flores’ defense in 2026 is valid. While Golday may not have a prominent role immediately — rookies often take time to develop — the Vikings are not just focused on this season only for Golday. Golday’s career won’t be evaluated in January 2027. This pick is about preparing for 2027, 2028, and 2029, when Cashman and Van Ginkel may be gone, declining, or in different roles.

Minnesota didn’t draft Golday despite having older linebackers; they drafted him because the linebacker room is aging.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on wondering why a team would draft a young linebacker when the other linebackers are age 30 or older.

The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings’ quarterback room is one of the worst in the NFL.

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports called the Vikings’ QB room the seventh-worst in football, explaining, “One would think the Minnesota Vikings’ signing of two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray would keep them off this list, but that’s not the case. Murray earned his Pro Bowl selections in 2020 and 2021. That’s a lifetime ago in NFL years. From 2022 to 2025, Murray missed 30 of his possible 68 games.”

“In the five games Murray played for the Cardinals in 2025, he averaged a career low 227.0 total yards per game. Recent first-round pick J.J. McCarthy was the worst quarterback in the NFL in 2025, which sparked the signing of Murray. McCarthy’s performance was simply incredible considering the offensive ecosystem under 2024 Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell.”

Murray and McCarthy are on tap to battle for the QB1 job this summer.

“Despite an electrifying supporting cast, McCarthy ranked dead last in the league in completion percentage (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12), and passer rating (72.6). Murray could rediscover his early career form with Minnesota,” Podell added.

“Murray is one of just four players in NFL history with 20,000-plus passing yards (20,460) and 30-plus rushing touchdowns (32) through his first seven seasons, joining Josh Allen, Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson. Week 1 starter: Kyler Murray.”

The world is not high on the Vikings’ quarterback room.

The Verdict: “QB Room Power Rankings” don’t really matter in May, but to suggest the Vikings have the league’s seventh-worst group is a little strange. When did the world decide that Murray is a terrible passer?

The Nopedy Nope: Teddy Bridgewater was the villain and culprit for helping high school football players.

Bridgewater won. Associated Press reported Saturday: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the ‘Teddy Bridgewater Act’ into law Friday, meaning high school coaches in the state will now be able to use their own money to help their players with expenses such as food, transportation, physical therapy and rehabilitation services.”

“The Bridgewater Act is named for the Florida native and longtime NFL quarterback who coached his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High, to a state championship in 2024. But he was suspended for the 2025 season after revealing that he personally paid for meals, ride-share services and treatments for some players.”

All the Bridgewater fuss kicked up last summer, as the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) didn’t enjoy the fact that he accommodated his players to the utmost.

“There will be strict rules regarding how — and how much — coaches can spend. It would apply to a team’s head coach only, cannot be used in recruiting, must be reported in full to a state agency and is capped at $15,000 per team per year,” AP added.

Bridgewater, now a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions, was vindicated, paving the way for his return to high school coaching if he so desires when his NFL career ends.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on punishing Bridgewater for a righteous act.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker