“We have options,” he said, per The Athletic’s Alec Lewis.

“We’re still on that place where we’re having all these discussions — every option’s afforded to us,” Adofo-Mensah added, referring to the franchise tag or a multi-year extension. “When we [signed Darnold] originally, we wanted to create optionality, and part of the optionality was believing in, betting in a guy who is young, talented. Believing in our infrastructure — able to do the things that we can do with quarterbacks — and so we’re now we’re in a position where we have options, and we’ll continue to work those options, figure out the best way for the Vikings to move forward.”

A former commodities trader, Adofo-Mensah is in no rush to make a final decision on Darnold. The Vikings have until March 2 to franchise tag Darnold, which could be done as part of a trade or simply as a one-year, $40 million retread with the first-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

Deadlines drive results in the NFL, and as many teams’ quarterback situations begin to crystallize, a potential trade suitor for Darnold could emerge in the coming days.

But if a team is confident they can win a bidding war for Darnold, they would likely be inclined to wait for free agency and avoid the added tax of a trade.

The Vikings don’t have a strong incentive to match competing offers for Darnold with J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings. Darnold could be inclined to take a sweetheart deal.

However, Darnold would likely prefer a destination that would promise him multiple years as a starter, not merely competition for an up-and-coming franchise quarterback like McCarthy.

As the NFL converges on Indianapolis for the week, more discussion and rumors are likely to surface.