Vikings Expected to Make Stunning Call on QB Sam Darnold

The Minnesota Vikings have an ace up their sleeve via the franchise tag, which will allow them to keep Sam Darnold on the roster in 2025 without making a long-term commitment. However, the team doesn’t appear inclined to use it in that fashion. “The Vikings seem more likely to let Darnold sign elsewhere and preserve their tag for a player such as cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who had a career-high six interceptions in 2024 and is hitting his prime at age 27,” Kevin Seifert of ESPN reported on Monday, Feb. 17. “If nothing else, it would give the Vikings time to sign Murphy to a longer-term deal while keeping him off the market.”

While Minnesota faces legitimate questions about the readiness of quarterback J.J. McCarthy to step in for Darnold in his second year absent any regular season experience, the issues in the secondary are clearer and just as immediate.

Every regular starter in the Vikings’ defensive backfield could be playing elsewhere, or be retired, by next season. Cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin as well as safety Camryn Bynum are also bound for free agency in mid-March if the team doesn’t extend them before then, while safety Har

Every regular starter in the Vikings’ defensive backfield could be playing elsewhere, or be retired, by next season. Cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin as well as safety Camryn Bynum are also bound for free agency in mid-March if the team doesn’t extend them before then, while safety Harrison Smith could decide to hang up his cleats after a 13-year career.

If the potential turnover in the secondary leads Minnesota to use the franchise tag to keep Murphy on the field in 2025 and Darnold departs in free agency, the Vikings will need to find a veteran QB to compete with and/or back up McCarthy. In that case, Daniel Jones and Aaron Rodgers could both prove potential solutions. But in any scenario that sees Darnold leave in free agency, the Vikings will have let the top quarterback on the market walk for nothing, which is a decision that may be tough to sell to the fan base — particularly if McCarthy struggles early on.