Insider Forecasts How Sam Darnold Could Land With AFC Team
Amid Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold’s pending free agency, one AFC team could pay him what he’s hoping for because it’s not going to get much better than any of the other quarterback-needy teams out there.
Las Vegas Raiders insider Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal recently highlighted how the team is in the best position to land Darnold. In addition, it’s worth noting that the Raiders have a quarterback-savvy front office with part owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek, who worked with Brady in Tampa Bay between 2020 and 2022.
“Given how healthy they are from a salary cap and cash standpoint, if the Raiders want Darnold as their quarterback in 2025, they can make it happen,” Bonsignore wrote on Friday. “They are in the best financial position to sign him among teams that need a quarterback.”
Las Vegas has the second-best salary cap situation in the league, with $95.17 million in cap space. The Vikings don’t have as much salary cap space at $59.45 million, and Darnold could command $40.1 million annually per Spotrac.
“It boils down to how they feel about him, and what they believe their chances are of drafting their top-ranked quarterback prospect,” Bonsignore wrote.
Brady, who won seven Super Bowls in his NFL career, and Spytek, who played a major role in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run, are well-equipped to evaluate if Darnold can succeed as a high-paid starter. Las Vegas head coach Pete Carroll also has a history of succeeding with quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Geno Smith.
“The Raiders will lean on Brady’s expertise, but more than likely in an advisory role rather than a daily presence with the quarterbacks,” Bonsignore confirmed.
The jury remains out on Darnold despite a mostly stellar 2024 season with the Vikings. Darnold’s final two games of the season went poorly, however, as the Vikings stumbled in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions, which was followed by a wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. It begs the question of whether Darnold can deliver when it counts the most after inconsistent play for most of his career.
Darnold started off as a highly-touted prospect out of USC when the New York Jets took him with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft. He didn’t pan out in Gotham amid losing seasons, and the Jets traded him to the Carolina Panthers, where his career stalled again.
Darnold then signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 and ended up with the backup quarterback job behind Brock Purdy, who led the team to a Super Bowl. That experience helped as Darnold rebuilt his career under head coach Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota.
If the Raiders and other quarterback-needy teams pass on Darnold, that could bode well for the Vikings with a chance to keep Darnold at a lower price tag. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current ESPN NFL broadcaster Troy Aikman expressed that Darnold’s performance in his final two games will hurt his compensation for 2025.
Whether or not Darnold’s two-game decline sinks his contract offers will play out in March. For now, Bonsignore considers Darnold the top free agent option for the Raiders ahead of possible free agents Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson.
If Darnold moves on from Minnesota, the Vikings could tab Daniel Jones as a veteran starter as the former New York Giants first-round pick looks to revive his career. Otherwise, the Vikings could start J.J. McCarthy as he recovers from MCL surgery last season.
Either way, Minnesota has viable options in-house, and a bidding war for Darnold with the Raiders or other teams may not pay off in the end.
