Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings have something going. They are 11-2 with a chance to win the NFC North this season if they win out. They can even earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC in the playoffs. That would mean a bye week to recuperate.
When the season ends, though, there are questions that must be answered.
Chief among them is Darnold’s future with the Vikings and if he even has one. It has seemed like a foregone conclusion that he does not, but ESPN’s Kevin Seifert says otherwise.
“Darnold has played well enough to leave the Vikings more open-minded about their 2025 plans than many realize, according to sources familiar with the Vikings’ thinking. They have not ruled out offering him a contract for next season, despite widespread assumptions they will let him sign elsewhere in free agency and hand the job to [J.J.] McCarthy, who has spent his rookie season recovering from a torn meniscus in his right knee,” Seifert wrote on December 16.
“Whether Darnold receives a more lucrative offer elsewhere remains to be determined, as quarterback-needy teams are just beginning the process of assessing his season. But he raised eyebrows earlier this month when he told Fox Sports reporter Pam Oliver: ‘There’s no other place I’d rather play. Just so grateful to be a Viking.’”
Seifert also pointed to Darnold and head coach Kevin O’Connell’s previous comments. Both emphasized that the QB is and should remain focused on the present rather than planning for the future.
Still, the report seems like a notable shift. Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips’ comments on Darnold seemed to foreshadow the QB’s exit.
Seifert notes a tag-and-trade scenario would seem more likely than letting Darnold walk.
Sam Darnold Expected to Land Bigger Contract Than Baker Mayfield
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe expects Darnold will command a contract worth between what former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, now of the Atlanta Falcons, received (four years, $180 million) and what Tampa Bay Buccaneers passer Baker Mayfield got (three years, $100 million).
“It would help his case if Sean McVay disciples Zac Robinson or Liam Coen got head-coaching jobs, considering Darnold’s success with Kevin O’Connell,” Howe wrote on December 14.
Seifert believes Mayfield’s deal is the floor for Darnold.
The two players were members of the same 2018 draft class and teammates on the Carolina Panthers in 2022. Mayfield signed a one-year, $4 million deal in 2023 before landing his big contract in 2024. He has long been a comp for Darnold’s situation.
The Pro Football Writers of America voted Mayfield the Most Improved Player in 2023. He also earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.
Darnold is having a better season in 2024 than Mayfield’s award-winning campaign.
Rival Exec Puts Vikings’ Sam Darnold on Notice
Darnold’s career-long track record means he still has more to prove to rival executives who could be interested in his services in free agency.
“The Mayfield deal would be on the lower end of what Darnold could expect this spring, an AFC team executive said, citing the relatively thin 2025 draft class compared to 2024,” Siefert wrote.
“In the meantime, the executive said, the league will try to understand how much of Darnold’s success is based on his own maturation and development and how much should be attributed to O’Connell’s system and playcalling, along with the presence of elite-level pass catchers in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.”
Seifert also compared the situation to Drew Brees in 2006.
Brees left the then-San Diego Chargers – who, like the Vikings with McCarthy, had his successor (Philip Rivers) in tow – for the New Orleans Saints in free agency that year.
Darnold has an advantage over Brees. The latter was coming off a shoulder injury, further clouding his future at the time. If Darnold stays healthy and continues to produce at a high level, it will be difficult – and questionable – for the Vikings to let him leave.
