The Minnesota Vikings hit a home run when they added Sam Darnold in the offseason, but the question now is will they get another at bat with the breakout quarterback?
The franchise and its QB hadn’t discussed an extension of any kind ahead of Darnold’s 5-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14. However, that showing moved the Vikings to 11-2 on the season, tied for second in the NFC, and vaulted Darnold back into the MVP conversation.
Darnold has thrown for nearly 3,300 yards, 28 TDs and 10 INTs with four games left to go, and Minnesota remains arguably the biggest surprise of 2024 based on where the team is now compared to where most analysts though it would be at this point.
The only bad thing about that from the Vikings’ perspective is that re-signing Darnold to a new deal in the coming months just got a lot pricier and may not be worth it with rookie QB J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings.
Minnesota’s offensive coordinator Wes Phillips spoke to the media about Darnold’s future on Wednesday, December 11, indicating that the QB could be moving on come March based on how well he’s performed.
“We all know that Sam is gonna be a sought-after type of guy from wherever that may be,” Phillips told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Whatever his future ends up being, I know all of us in this building are gonna be happy for him, no matter where that ends up being. I don’t think he has to worry about that anymore.”
Sam Darnold Will Have Several Suitors if He Becomes Free Agent
Darnold could command somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million per season, which will make it tough for the Vikings to justify bringing him back with a top-10 pick ready to take over.
However, if Minnesota makes a deep run in the playoffs, it’s going to be hard for the franchise to explain to the fans why it isn’t paying Darnold the money he — at that point — would almost irrefutably deserve.
Darnold may be able to get the $100-plus million deal he’s almost certain to ask for in 2025 from several interested teams ,barring injury or his play careening off a proverbial cliff over the next month.
“To me the Vikings are still a destination spot for him,” Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus said Tuesday. “I think it’s the [Pittsburgh] Steelers, [Tennessee] Titans and the [New York] Giants [that] are the most likely spots outside of Minnesota.”
Do Vikings Have Enough Confidence in System to Transition From Sam Darnold to J.J. McCarthy?
The Vikings let Kirk Cousins walk for $180 million from Atlanta over the offseason, which wasn’t necessarily a popular decision at the time. But it worked out swimmingly after paying Darnold just $10 million for the 2024 campaign.
Minnesota must decide whether it is as confident this time around in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s scheme and the roster he has compiled with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to let Darnold hit free agency and expect a smooth/winning transition to McCarthy.
Another factor to consider is the extra $35-$40 million the Vikings will be able to spend annually to further enhance the personnel around McCarthy if they don’t pay Darnold.
