Vikings Rumors: Trading Sam Darnold, Middle of the Pack Resources, and Huge Roster Change

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Neville Gallimore (92) sacks Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) during the second half in an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

As we enter the portion of the year when Vikings rumors start heating up, we’ll be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.

The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss possibly trading away Sam Darnold, the Vikings having some middle-of-the-pack resources for the offseason, and then the potential for huge roster turnover.

Vikings Rumors: 01.22.2025

Rumor #1 — The Vikings Could Trade Away Sam Darnold

Possible.

Of course, being able to do so will require some form of new deal. Most likely would be a situation where Kwesi Adofo-Mensah applies the franchise tag as a stopgap for an extension. The acquiring team would take on the tagged Darnold before negotiating an extension.

The critical factor for the Vikings rests in keeping Darnold abreast on the options out there on the trade market. Keeping the passer in the loop by directly getting his feedback about where he would like to play would help to preserve the healthy team culture that Kevin O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah have worked so hard to build.

Jan 5, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws the ball against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

In all likelihood, a Day 2 selection — either Round 2 or Round 3 — would be enough to pry away the 27-year-old passer.

Sam Darnold is coming off of a season where he led his team to a 14-3 record. The man passed for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Maybe the lasting memory, though, is of a Darnold who failed to rise to the occasion in Week 18 and in the Wild Card Round. Both games involved Minnesota being contained to just 9 points; both games involved a loss.

Even still, a team could very realistically be willing to part with a pick to get him to town. Darnold could still be ascending in his game, making him a relatively attractive option (especially compared to some of the alternatives for QB-needy teams).

Rumor #2 — The Vikings are Somewhere in the Middle for 2025 Offseason Resources

That’s the word from PFF, a spot that recently put together a piece detailing how much each franchise has for the 2025 offseason.

Notably, PFF puts the Vikings down at 32nd for draft capital. Right now, the Vikings have just a 1st and then a pair of 5ths. The expectation is that a 3rd is going to get added once the compensatory picks get sorted out. And, perhaps, there could be a bit more draft capital if the above scenario — a tag-and-trade involving Darnold — takes places.

NFL: Combine
Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Getting the Vikings back into a better spot is the cap space. Currently, Over the Cap insists that Minnesota has roughly $58 million in open room, but there’s great potential to add more room.

Toward the end of the aforementioned PFF piece, there’s a chart that shows where teams finish off for total resources. The Vikings sit somewhere around the middle, just a bit above average. Doing most of the heavy lifting is a healthy 2025 budget but maybe the draft picks see a bit of a boost before it’s all said and done.

Rumor #3 — The Vikings Could See Huge Roster Turnover

That’s one of the suggestions coming from Nick Korte’s brief snippet about snaps moving toward free agency.

The analyst for OTC tracks the teams with the “most snaps entering unrestricted free agency.” The Vikings sit in the top spot with 45.4%. Only a pair of other teams — the Commanders at 41.1% and the Dolphins at 40.3% — clear the 40% threshold. Notably, the Packers sit in last place at just 14.6%.

NFL: Minnesota Vikings Training Camp
Jul 28, 2022; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah looks on during training camp at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Adofo-Mensah is thus going to need to determine who is a priority to keep around. Does the 30-year-old Aaron Jones snag a new deal? What about the various corners — Byron Murphy Jr., Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, and Fabian Moreau? The safety twosome of Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum (both of whom cleared 1K snaps) are moving toward free agency.

Lots of key decisions are going to need to be made in the coming weeks and months.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.


K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.