Sam Darnold, Andrew Van Ginkel, four other Vikings named to NFC Pro Bowl roster

Many Vikings players are having career years, and many will be going to the Pro Bowl Games on Feb. 2 in Orlando.

Unless they are preparing for the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 9.

Quarterback Sam Darnold, receiver Justin Jefferson, outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and long snapper Andrew DePaola were voted onto the initial NFC roster.

Jefferson, Greenard, Van Ginkel, Murphy and DePaola were voted as starters for the conference. Darnold is listed as a backup behind Lions quarterback Jared Goff ahead of Sunday’s matchup between the two for the No. 1 seed and NFC North title. Only the Ravens (nine) and Lions (seven) had more selections than the Vikings.

This is the first all-star nod for Darnold, who has thrown for a career-high 4,153 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, including 18 touchdowns to two interceptions over the past seven games. Van Ginkel, who has a team-high and career-high 11½ sacks and two interceptions returned for touchdowns, is also going for the first time, as are Greenard (11 sacks) and Murphy (six interceptions).

“It’s surreal, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Van Ginkel said. “It’s been a long year, obviously recovering from Lisfranc [injury last offseason], going to a new team with all new teammates, learning a new system. It’s a dream come true.”

Jefferson is headed to his fourth Pro Bowl in five NFL seasons. He ranks second with 1,479 receiving yards — trailing only a former LSU teammate in the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase (1,612) — and he ranks seventh with 100 catches through 16 games. DePaola, the veteran long snapper, made his third consecutive all-star game despite missing four games because of a hand injury.

The conferences will be coached by Peyton and Eli Manning in a flag football game on Sunday, Feb. 2, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The game will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN. There will also be a skills competition aired the night of Thursday, Jan. 30, on ESPN. The events will include dodgeball, tug-of-war and a punting competition.

Seven other Vikings players were named alternates: fullback C.J. Ham (first alternate), safety Josh Metellus (third), center Garrett Bradbury (third), tight end T.J. Hockenson (fourth), right tackle Brian O’Neill (fourth), specialist Trent Sherfield Sr. (fourth), and defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (sixth).

This is the sixth consecutive year that Ham has been voted as the NFC’s first alternate behind nine-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk of the 49ers. Ham, the Duluth native, made one trip to the all-star game in 2020 when San Francisco reached the Super Bowl.

The Vikings practiced again Thursday without edge rusher Pat Jones II, who has dealt with right knee issues for at least a month. He took a low hit by Packers tight end Tucker Kraft to that right knee in Sunday’s victory over Green Bay, forcing his exit in the first half. He also missed the Dec. 8 victory over the Falcons because of a knee injury.

If Jones misses another game, rookie Dallas Turner could see an increased workload. Turner reached 40% playing time for only the fourth time this season when Jones left the Packers game.

Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill (illness) also was not spotted at Thursday’s practice. Guard Ed Ingram was newly added to the injury report because of a back issue. He was limited along with running back Aaron Jones (quad) and cornerback Fabian Moreau (hip).

For the Lions, linebacker Alex Anzalone (forearm) was upgraded to a full participant in his attempt to return from injured reserve; running back David Montgomery (knee) and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (illness) did not practice.

The Vikings and all other NFL teams can designate a franchise player starting 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18, opening a two-week window that closes at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, according to the NFL’s offseason calendar released on Thursday.

That is particularly relevant for the Vikings and Darnold, who is scheduled to be a free agent when the 2025 league year begins on March 12. The franchise tag for a quarterback is projected to be nearly $40 million, but that figure won’t be officially set until the 2025 salary cap is determined. Nine passers, ranging from the Bengals’ Joe Burrow to the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, make more than $50 million per year.

That would allow the Vikings to maintain control over Darnold’s contractual rights and either keep or trade him, since Darnold is set to be the most coveted free agent passer available. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is the only other winning starter on an expiring deal.

Coach Kevin O’Connell referenced showing highlights of some of Darnold’s best passes against the Packers during a team meeting when he was asked about his process of singling out individual efforts.

“They’re not all positive,” O’Connell said. “A lot of times it’s just me pointing out the things that I made mistakes on just so they know that … it’s not me standing up there waving my finger. … Most of the time, I like to make sure that they hear me say, ‘I totally screwed this up and you guys bailed me out.’ Or the next time we get this situation, here’s what you can expect.”

That gets noticed by players such as Aaron Jones, the 30-year-old, first-time Vikings running back who recently said he wants to finish his career in Minnesota.

“Not a lot of coaches do that,” Jones said. “I feel like you just gain respect even more when you have a coach that [says], ‘Hey, that’s on me. I could’ve been better.’ … Sometimes you don’t even notice mistakes like we didn’t even know until we was told. But that just speaks to a lot of who Coach is and why his players love him.”

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