Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is hitting free agency after setting career-highs with 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns on 66.2% completion in 2024.
He was fifth in TD passes, eighth in attempts, and ninth in completions. With such a strong profile, Darnold seems poised to set the market among quarterbacks in free agency this coming offseason.
In his first public comments since the season ended, Darnold said he has thought about his future. But he would not divulge his plans.
“I’ve put a little bit of thought into it. I’m not going to share anything about, kind of, what I’ve been thinking or, obviously, the conversations I’ve had behind closed doors,” Darnold said on “SiriusXM NFL Radio” on January 31. “There’s obviously, a lot that’s going to happen still, even after the Super Bowl. So [I’m] just going to continue to talk to my agent and figure things out from there.”
“Darnold had a bounce-back year under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota, as his 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdown throws both ranked fifth in the league,” ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote on January 29. “His decision-making late in the down is still questionable, and he had a 14.8 QBR over the Vikings’ two losses to end the season. But with his arm strength and mobility, Darnold will have options on the market given the need for the position across the league.”
He seemed destined to find a significant payday. Darnold is still expected to see a raise from his one-year, $10 million contract. However, Darnold’s performance in the Vikings’ final two games has created doubt among potential suitors.
Sam Darnold’s Free Agency Forecast Mixed
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Darnold is still expected to see a deal close to the three-year, $100 million pact that Baker Mayfield signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024.
He also named the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants as potential landing spots.
“Several execs have Darnold in that Baker Mayfield range of contracts, which is around three years and $100 million with strong guarantees,” Fowler wrote in the same article as Bowen. “The Raiders and Giants — both picking outside the top two spots in the draft — might need to pay a quarterback.”
That is short of the predictions that Darnold would end up with either franchise. It is also unclear how eager the Giants and Raiders’ front offices will be to invest in him. But it only takes two teams to start a bidding war.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano still believes Darnold has priced himself out of the Vikings’ long-term plans, particularly with J.J. McCarthy in tow.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe notes QB-needy teams face a “major dilemma,” including with Darnold.
“The prospect pool is way down, to the point where some personnel executives around the NFL don’t believe there’s a franchise signal-caller in the draft, and the veteran market doesn’t have a prized asset, either,” Howe wrote on January 31.
“Of course, teams will also explore the veteran market, but there are more temporary fixes than long-term solutions. Sam Darnold was viewed for a while as the best player available, to the point where it seemed to be a lock he’d get a contract worth north of $40 million annually, but his poor play over the Minnesota Vikings’ final two losses has scared teams. It’s unclear how his offseason will transpire at this point.”
Sam Darnold Reflects on ‘Mindset’ During Comeback Player of the Year Season With Vikings
Darnold was voted the Fox Sports Comeback Player of the Year. He was also voted Most Improved Player by the Pro Football Writers of America.
He reflected on his surprise season when asked.
“It was all about taking it one day at a time,” Darnold said. “I know it’s cliche, and I’ve kind of had that answer a lot even throughout the season. But that’s truly what my mindset was even from the very beginning when we started in April.
“That’s how I took it throughout the season because you can get lost. You can get lost in a lot of the narratives and a lot of the things that people are saying about you; good or bad. So for me, it was just about keeping my head down. Putting in the work that we need to put in throughout the week to just go 1-0 that week. And that was kind of not only my mindset, but I feel like the whole team’s mindset throughout the season.”
That even-keeled approach should serve Darnold well as he awaits further clarity about his future, be it with or without the Vikings.
