Minnesota Vikings predicted to sign former $160 million quarterback after declining to franchise Sam Darnold
Not even a 14-win season, or ranking in the top five in passing touchdowns and passer rating was good enough for the Minnesota Vikings to place the franchise tag on Sam Darnold. The soon-to-be 28-year-old quarterback is coming off a career year, earning his first Pro Bowl appearance, yet still, no franchise tag.
Of course, the Vikings are reportedly still trying to re-sign Darnold, it just won’t be for the same $40.2 million amount the franchise tag would have resulted in. However, if the Vikings don’t retain Darnold, they’ll need another quarterback who can either backup or compete with J.J. McCarthy. Their Darnold replacement could be nearby.
Related: 5 top Jonathan Allen trade landing spots this offseason
Minnesota Vikings predicted to re-sign Daniel Jones
Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings got an absolute bargain, signing Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract. They could be looking to take a similar approach this offseason, taking a chance on a buy-low, high reward player who has yet to reach his full potential.
The perfect candidate was already on the roster late last year, when Daniel Jones joined the organization following his requested release from the New York Giants. Signed to a four-year, $160 million contract extension after leading the Giants to a Wild Card playoff win over the Vikings, Jones tore his ACL the next season and never regained his top form.
As noted, if Darnold leaves, the Vikings will need a capable replacement. Recently, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer predicted Jones to return to the Vikings, where he’d get to backup J.J. McCarthy in a high-powered offense featuring reigning NFL Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell calling the shots.
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft: Who should the Vikings draft?
Vikings could be set to make catastrophic mistake with QB Sam Darnold
The Minnesota Vikings will have a huge decision to make with Sam Darnold this offseason. Could they be set to make a huge mistake when it’s all said and done? Here is a recent update on the situation from Ian Raporport of NFL Network:
The #Vikings are not expected to franchise tag QB Sam Darnold by Tuesday’s deadline, per me and @TomPelissero. But all parties are working through options to potentially keep him in Minnesota.
Darnold, somehow still just 27 years old, broke out in a big way in 2024 with the Vikings, leading them to a 14-3 regular season record while throwing for over 4,000 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 intercecptions. He completed 66.% of his passes and earned a 102.4 passer rating. It was, by far, the best season of his NFL career, and really goes to show you just how important coaching is in the NFL.
This was him not playing his best football until his seventh year in the league. Now yes, he hasn’t been as good as many thought, and much of him not succeeding was probably because of him, but the coaching aspect really helps more than you think in my opinion.
The main issue for the Vikings is that they used a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on JJ McCarthy and had originally signed Darnold to be their backup. I am not sure a single soul in that building thought Darnold would have played as well as he did, and we now know that they aren’t going to use the franchise tag on him but still seem to have some interest in bringing him back.
However you look at this situation, you have to agree that Minnesota may end up making a huge mistake here. Do they bring Sam Darnold back on a short-term deal, or do they hand the keys over to the de-facto rookie in McCarthy? Darnold seemed to collapse a bit down the stretch when they stakes got higher, and that actually did seem to water down what he did up to that point.
