It’s still difficult to guess who will be the Minnesota Vikings’ backup quarterback to J.J. McCarthy next season. But it’s definitely not going to be Aaron Rodgers and it’s unlikely to be Kirk Cousins.
There’s a 99 percent chance that Rodgers winds up with the Steelers, and for Cousins the most likely choice is the Browns.
That leaves Ryan Tannehill, 36, who made nearly $200 million during an 11-year NFL career and now lives happily in Nashville, Tenn.; Joe Flacco, 40, and Drew Lock, 28, among considerations.
Tannehill, who sat out last season, is 6-feet-4 and has a strong arm, which Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell values.
The Vikings aren’t expected to make their choice for about a month.
>> It’s been obvious the Vikings hope McCarthy, 22, can be their starter. Now it’s a question whether they can find a suitable backup if something happens with McCarthy, who missed last season following two right knee procedures.
>> Trey Lance, the Marshall High (Minn.) grad, There was no chance with the Vikings even though he’s expected to sign a free agent deal with the Chargers. Lance, 24, received a guaranteed $34.1 million contract from the 49ers four years ago.
>> It was 2006. Niko Medved was 32 years old. Gophers men’s basketball coach Dan Monson recalled interviewing him with top assistant Jim Molinari for an assistant job.
“I remember Molinari saying we’ve got to keep him here — he’s a superstar, he’s a loyal Gopher and he loves it here,” Monson told the Pioneer Press. “So we found him a few dollars from some auxiliary money to just be part of the staff. It was a win for him and a win for us.”
Medved, 51, the Roseville Area and Minnesota grad, last week was hired as head Gophers coach with an $18 million, six-year contract.
“In the interview, you could see he was sharp, had a great presence about him pretty even keeled, didn’t get too high or too low — and he was young,” Monson said.
Medved’s Gophers deal averages $3 million a year, with an annual supplemental payment of $100,000.
“More than they paid me,” Monson said with a laugh.
Monson, 63, is head coach at Eastern Michigan.
>> It was 28 years ago. Tom Lehman was the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world. Last weekend in Palm Desert, Calif., Lehman, 66, was back playing a full schedule on the PGA Champions Tour. He is as competitive as ever.
“My game is the best it’s been in a few years,” the former Gopher from Alexandria told the Pioneer Press while preparing to play in the Galleri Classic. “I‘m hitting it a lot better, a little bit longer, hitting it solid. I just need to find a way to get that ball to go into the hole.”
Lehman remains the only golfer in history to be ranked No. 1 on the PGA Tour, No. 1 on the Champions Tour and No.1 on the Ben Hogan Tour, now the Korn Ferry Tour. Some people feel strongly that the 1996 British Open champion and 2006 USA Ryder Cup captain qualifies for the World Golf Hall of Fame.
How long does Lehman intend to play on tour?
“I really enjoy the preparation that goes into golf, but I don’t like to play poorly,” he said. “My game was lousy the last couple of years, but if it can get better again and start getting better results, I’ll maybe play a little bit longer.”
He’s won 12 times on the Champions Tour. Can he win again?
“I played with Ernie Els and he told me, ‘I think you can still win the way you hit it,’ so that was a nice compliment. He didn’t have to say it.
“It’s all about the putting. If I can start to roll it and get the ball to start dropping, I think I can still be competitive.”
As for his putting, Lehman said he needs to relax.
“The older I get, the more anxious I get on the green,” he said. “If I can find a way to relax and be comfortable, then I putt well. But if I have ...
