Dan Graziano says the Vikings would like to sign Case Keenum, but it ultimately depends on whether Keenum wants to test the free-agent market. (0:58)

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- No one wants to talk about it. And who can blame them? Why slice open fresh skin, in the middle of a historic playoff run, to address the elephant in the room?

But my gosh, let's settle this now and move on. Can we acknowledge that the Minnesota Vikings' offseason quarterback decision isn't nearly as difficult as it might appear? When considering the current league environment, and recalling this franchise's history, the answer is obvious. No matter how this season ends, Case Keenum should be the Vikings' 2018 starter -- via the franchise tag, if nothing else -- and perhaps beyond.

You can tie yourself in knots worrying over Keenum's previously undistinguished career, and whether a stunning 15-start stretch is enough to reverse five years of less stellar observations. You can also agonize over whether the pending departure of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who is the favorite to be the New York Giants' next head coach, will destroy Minnesota's magic sauce of 2017.

But come on. It would be the height of arrogance to walk away from a quarterback who produced one of the best seasons in franchise history and has the team on the brink of its first Super Bowl in four decades, all before he turned 30 years old.

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I realize the Vikings have options that seem to complicate the issue. Sam Bradford, acquired in 2016 for a first-round draft choice, is healthy again and still relatively young at 30. Teddy Bridgewater, a 2014 first-round draft pick, is also back after a one-and-a-half-year knee rehabilitation. All three quarterbacks have expiring contracts, creating a glut and possibly some negotiating leverage in the coming months.

Keenum, though, has already demonstrated he's capable of everything the Vikings could hope for Bradford, Bridgewater or any other available starter to accomplish. Far beyond serving as the caretaker for a defensive-oriented team, Keenum has been at the root of its success. He has channeled his aggressive mindset in a way that has minimized mistakes but still allowed room for big plays that have changed the course of the Vikings' season.

You don't have to go further than last weekend's Minneapolis Miracle to understand what that means. On the play that kept the Vikings in contention for Super Bowl LII, Keenum had two targets -- tight end Kyle Rudolph and wide receiver Jarius Wright -- running safe out routes toward the sideline. Hit one of them, and perhaps the Vikings would have had a chance at a long field goal attempt.

A third, receiver Stefon Diggs, was running a deep corner. Diggs was the only one of the three who could win the game. Keenum threw to Diggs. You know the rest. Case Keenum threw 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions in the regular season. Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

Those throws are what you get with Keenum. They were part of the reason he ranked second in the NFL this season in Total QBR (69.5). They can also push him into irrational mistakes. But in 2017, at least, Keenum kept those errors to a minimum. He threw seven interceptions in 481 attempts for an INT percentage of 1.5, the sixth-best in the NFL. His sack rate of 4.4 percent ranked seventh in the league. In three games this season, he was neither sacked nor intercepted, tying a franchise record.

"We've seen it a lot," Shurmur said, "where you get a quarterback and maybe a system and a place, and the stars all cross and a guy has a chance to have success. And hopefully this is the first of many years going forward for Case. I know that's what we're hoping."

A pessimist might worry that without Shurmur and the mythical magic of the pair's association, Keenum could revert to his less careful ways. That might turn out to be true. But what is easier to project: (1) That Keenum can repeat something he has already done; (2) whether Bradford's knees, which the Vikings have admitted are limited by "wear and tear," can survive a full season; or (3) that Bridgewater can return from a two-year absence a better quarterback than he was before?

The Vikings might already have tipped their hand, having supplanted Bridgewater with Bradford as Keenum's No. 2 in the divisional round. If they trust Bradford more than Bridgewater as a backup, how could they justify Bridgewater as a legitimate starter moving forward?

Regardless, in this context, Keenum is the overwhelming best bet. The Vikings don't have to invest anything more than the franchise tag. And even a cursory knowledge of their history at the position should emphasize how attractive it is.

In the biggest picture imaginable, the Vikings have been wandering in the quarterback wilderness ever since the retirement of Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton after the 1978 season. Yes, 1978! That's 40 years! Over that span, only two quarterbacks in Minnesota have managed to survive as a primary starter for longer than three years: Tommy Kramer and Daunte Culpepper. The rest of the time has been a mishmash of aging veterans such as Warren Moon, Jim McMahon, Randall Cunningham and Brett Favre.

In Keenum, the Vikings have a quarterback who has played as well as any of them, except perhaps Favre in 2009. Set to turn 30 in February, Keenum is in the prime of today's quarterback development curve.

There has been a sense in Minnesota that he would eventually crash, and that Bridgewater -- a personal favorite of coach Mike Zimmer -- would pick up where he left off as an ascending youngster. But this no longer makes sense, and the Vikings might well realize it already.

In either event, the evidence is clear, and the cost is far from prohibitive. Keenum is the Vikings' best available option, and assuming they will remain in the business of winning as many games as they can, the quarterback who led them to a 13-3 regular-season record and the doorstep of the Super Bowl should be their choice.