LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The NFL Annual League Meeting is taking place this week, and the NFC head coaches met with the media on Monday. I tried to speak with as many of them as I could to gain some insight for the upcoming season.
Here are injury updates, news items, and just general things of interest that the coaches said from the media session.
Fantasy buzz: Lions | Packers | Bears | Vikings | NFC
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings added Sam Darnold this offseason to replace the departed Kirk Cousins (Atlanta), but Minnesota could still select another quarterback in the NFL Draft. The Vikings have picks No. 11 and 23 in the first round, and they could be looking to trade up.
Whatever happens at quarterback, Kevin O'Connell said he'll include Justin Jefferson in the process. O'Connell called Jefferson a "pillar of leadership for our organization," and hopefully the quarterback in 2024 keeps Jefferson playing at a high level.
"I've felt very strongly about keeping him informed," O'Connell said. "He's been in the loop. He's been aware. He's allowed to articulate things to me via our relationship, and that's really been through this whole process.
"That's how our conversations and our communication go and I think the quarterback position, the path that we're going to go, I think he's excited about getting to spend some time and work with Sam in addition to our other quarterbacks and then what this could look like to maybe be a part of helping mentor a young quarterback."
Jefferson has been an elite Fantasy option with Cousins, but he also did well with Nick Mullens in the final four games last season. He averaged 22.1 PPR points per game over that span, and hopefully he'll be as productive with whoever starts in 2024.
