The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Sam Darnold got what they needed from one another last season and then moved on, but a reunion could be in the works sooner than later.
Darnold dipped out of Minneapolis for a nine-figure gig with the Seattle Seahawks after a Pro Bowl season that ended with 4,300 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and a 14-win campaign that landed Minnesota in the playoffs.
Minnesota got the stop-gap year it needed, as J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury after the team selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The Vikings were one Week-18 win over the Detroit Lions away from the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a bye week and a home contest against the Washington Commanders for the right to go to the conference championship game.
That scenario for the Vikings may have worked out as poorly as it did for the Lions, though no one will ever really know how Minnesota might have played with a week off to scheme for Washington and get healthy and rested.
The point is the team was highly competitive with Darnold under center and wasn’t too far away from the ultimate goal. Minnesota is hopeful that it can replicate last year’s success with McCarthy under center, though there are a vast number of unknowns given the fact he’s never taken a regular-season snap at the NFL level.
A dual report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk paints a picture of Darnold having one year to prove himself in Seattle, and the Vikings giving McCarthy one year of rope before potentially pursuing a veteran in 2026 to compete for the starting job.
Sam Darnold May Have Just 1 Year to Prove Himself With Seahawks
Getty| Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.
Florio laid out Darnold’s situation with the Seahawks, which is technically a three-year deal but functions more like a one-year tryout with a high-upside rookie on Darnold’s heels the entire time.
“[Darnold] has a one-year deal, as a practical matter. And the Seahawks seem to really like rookie Jalen Milroe,” Florio wrote on Saturday, July 5. “Darnold will need to play very well to secure his status for 2026.”
Darnold’s $100.5 million contract carries only $55 million guaranteed, which includes a $37.5 million signing bonus and a $5.3 million base salary in 2025 plus a workout bonus of $200,000. In essence, Seattle is paying him $43 million for the upcoming season and can get off his contract next spring owing the quarterback just $12 million.
Milroe has arguably the biggest arm and the best mobility of any QB in the 2025 class, and Seattle’s interest in him led to the Seahawks trading Sam Howell to the Vikings for a fifth-round pick swap in April. Howell, who is 5-13 as a starter with 22 TDs and 23 INTs to his name, will enter Vikings training camp later this month as McCarthy’s backup.
Vikings Could Look to Sam Darnold as Alternative Option if J.J. McCarthy Struggles, Gets Injured in 2025
Getty| Quarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings let Darnold walk, went cheap with an offer to Daniel Jones who left for the Indianapolis Colts, passed on Aaron Rodgers and appear content to roll with Howell as QB2 if he plays reasonably well during training camp.
Minnesota could pursue a veteran as early as next month if Howell bombs out, though with limited options. The best would probably be another reunion via a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for former starter Kirk Cousins, though that might require the Vikings to pick up $10 million or so of his 2025 salary and could also cost Minnesota a Day-3 draft pick in 2026.
But McCarthy playing on a rookie-scale contract over the next three years is Minnesota’s plan to manufacture true championship contention in that window. That said, Florio suggested if McCarthy struggles mightily in 2025, he is likely to face much stiffer preseason competition in 2026. The same is likely true if McCarthy suffers another serious injury setback in his second professional campaign.
“He’s getting his shot to play after a knee injury wiped out his rookie season,” Florio wrote Saturday. “Anything other than an outright disaster will ensure his status for 2026. At worst, he’d have to compete with a more established veteran next year.”
If Darnold is out in Seattle after this season in favor of Milroe, and if the Vikings don’t feel certain they have a star and/or a viable starter in McCarthy who can stay healthy, a reunion between Darnold and Minnesota could end up in the works given how successful Darnold was under Kevin O’Connell system.
