Vikings Predicted to Make $160 Million QB Move

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold may have fallen flat in the first postseason appearance of his career, but the 2024 season should be considered Year 1 for the 27-year-old quarterback who reinvented himself in Minnesota.

Darnold shed many of the bad habits that plagued his career previously. They may have resurfaced when the lights were the brightest, but that doesn’t discredit the Pro Bowl-caliber body of work that defined the majority of career rebirth.

The 27-year-old quarterback threw for the third most yards, tied for the second-most touchdowns, posted the sixth-highest quarterback rating, and led the second-most game-winning drives in a single season in franchise history.

While Darnold is responsible for the fatal flaws of the Vikings’ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams — in particular, a playoff record 9 sacks taken — further film study has shown that the offensive line bears a significant share of the blame.

For that reason, ESPN’s Ben Solak said he believes the Vikings will run it back with Darnold in a big way and potentially trade J.J. McCarthy for draft picks to fortify the rest of the roster.

“I really, truly believe the Vikings will extend Darnold. They have the room for something in the Daniel Jones neighborhood — four years, $160 million is probably optimal, if they can get Darnold to sign that before another team in the free market offers him a whale of a deal,” Solak wrote on January 20. “Depending on the size of the contract, they’ll either keep McCarthy or quietly look to trade him ahead of a bad quarterback draft class and see if a needy team takes the bait.”

tal flaws of the Vikings’ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams — in particular, a playoff record 9 sacks taken — further film study has shown that the offensive line bears a significant share of the blame.

For that reason, ESPN’s Ben Solak said he believes the Vikings will run it back with Darnold in a big way and potentially trade J.J. McCarthy for draft picks to fortify the rest of the roster.

In his lone Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, the Kansas City Chiefs surrendered a 55.4% pressure rate to the Buccaneers. The offensive line allowed 30 pressures in the 31-9 loss where Mahomes was held without a touchdown and a 52.3 passer rating.