As news around the Minnesota Vikings quarterback situation continues to filter in, Sam Darnold’s future with the team looks more and more in doubt. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Sunday, February 9 that the Las Vegas Raiders are likely to take a run at Darnold if he hits free agency. “The one team I would watch with Sam Darnold moving forward would be the Las Vegas Raiders,” Schefter told Mike Greenberg ahead of Super Bowl 2025 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. “I think at some point in time, they’re likely to have some interest in trying to bring Sam Darnold to Las Vegas
Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is also set to resume football drills in the coming weeks “and should be ready to roll by OTAs in May,” according to a report from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Signing Darnold to a huge extension and keeping McCarthy will hamstring Minnesota’s ability to rebuild its roster through both free agency (financial constraints) of the NFL draft (Vikings currently own four picks total). And the team is likely going to need to acquire help on the offensive line and in the secondary if it hopes to repeat its 14-win pace, or even approach it again, next season. Barring the use of the franchise tag, there is a reasonable chance that Darnold exits Minnesota despite putting up north of 4,300 passing yards and 35 TDs during his age-27 season with the Vikings.
In that scenario, Minnesota is likely to seek a veteran quarterback to play behind and/or compete with McCarthy. Rapoport and Pelissero believe that player is Daniel Jones, who the New York Giants released during the first year of a $160 million contract extension before he joined the Vikings’ roster late in the year.
“If Darnold leaves, the Vikings will add a veteran insurance policy, with Daniel Jones among the logical options after spending the last half of the season in Minnesota,” Rapoport and Pelissero wrote. Another possible option is four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, who will not be back with the New York Jets next season. However, Rodgers is likely looking for a better opportunity to start, which could push Minnesota to the bottom of the list as free agency gets underway.
