Sam Darnold’s Future Is Clearly Leaning One Way
The offseason is slowly picking up steam, with the franchise tag window opening on Tuesday. Free agency is about three weeks away. The legal tampering window opens on March 10, when agents can talk to teams while the players can engage and officially sign deals two days later.
Sam Darnold’s Future Is Clearly Leaning One Way
Among those free agents is Sam Darnold, the Vikings’ quarterback in the 2024 season. At least, unless the club exercises the franchise tag to secure his rights for another season or hand him a long-term contract.
It took him a few years longer than expected when he was drafted, but he exploded onto the scene in the past year, throwing 35 touchdowns and 4,319 yards while guiding his team to a 14-3 record. Later in the year, he couldn’t get past the Lions and the Rams, but his entire body of work throughout the year still ensures interest among QB-needy organizations around the league.
When the campaign started, it was quite clear that J.J. McCarthy would be the future quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, but folks in the media and within the fan base were starting to change their tune when he was dominating in December. You can’t really let a guy with this track record leave. Well, some of those comments diminished in the final two games of the season, but others haven’t changed their opinions.
Regardless, although all options are still on the table, a departure is the most likely option and the clues keep appearing almost on a daily basis.
After winning the Coach of the Year trophy, head coach Kevin O’Connell said about his passer, “Look, you guys know how I feel about Sam. He is a guy who we identified last year as someone who could come in and be successful, and really, no matter where he was before he arrived, it was about maximizing our time together. And I think we did that.”
They surely did. Darnold played way better than he ever has, and O’Connell confirmed his status as a quarterback whisperer. One guy has already been paid this offseason; the other one will likely follow next month.
O’Connell continued, “I think it was a very special year for Sam, and what that earned him is that everybody in our league thinks he’s a bonafide, legitimate starting quarterback in our league and can win a lot of football games. He won 14 of them. So, he’s earned the right to be a free agent. But we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his representation, as well as being really excited about J.J. McCarthy and where he’s at in his rehab.”
It’s impossible to overread the “deserves to be a free agent” tidbit. After that statement, it would be quite surprising if the Vikings used the tag to prevent him from hitting the open market.
Another hint appeared on Monday when ESPN’s Kevin Seifert suggested that the 27-year-old would play for a different franchise in 2025.
“Using the tag on quarterback Sam Darnold would be an expensive way of ensuring his return while avoiding a longer-term commitment that would hinder J.J. McCarthy’s eventual ascension,” Seifert wrote. “It could also be a way to elicit additional value by way of a trade, but that would require a knowledge that multiple teams would be willing to bid. In the end, the Vikings seem more likely to let Darnold sign elsewhere and preserve their tag for a player such as cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.”
It would be an expensive way, and so would be signing him to a long-term deal. His cap hits would put the franchise right back into the Kirk Cousins days, and it has become quite clear that the Vikings want to try building around a quarterback on a rookie contract.
That man is already in the building. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury last August but is back on the field and will be ready to compete as soon as the team returns for OTAs in May.
It can’t entirely be ruled out, but Darnold continuing to wear purple would be surprising. Potential employers are, among others, the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants, and the Tennessee Titans.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt