COMMITTED: Vikings QB Sam Darnold Predicted to Sign $114 Million Contract

The Minnesota Vikings plan to let Sam Darnold play the market this offseason in free agency, a decision that is widely expected to result in him signing with a new team.

That team could be the Las Vegas Raiders.

“The Vikings like Darnold and his live arm, but they like their 2024 first-round investment, J.J. McCarthy, just as much. And the bargain-bin route worked out just fine for them after they let Kirk Cousins walk. Darnold, meanwhile, might prefer to cash in for a top gig while he can,” CBS Sports Cody Benjamin wrote on February 20. “Prediction: Signs three-year, $114 million deal with Las Vegas Raiders.”

The Raiders hired Super Bowl-winning head coach Pete Carroll, who has ties to Darnold’s alma mater, USC. Legendary NFL QB Tom Brady is also a minority owner in the Raiders and has tremendous influence.

Over The Cap projects the Raiders will have the second-most space to worth with this offseason at $99.5 million.

The Vikings, meanwhile, rank seventh with $63.3 million.

Darnold completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions during the regular season, earning his first career Pro Bowl. His 14 wins are the most by a quarterback in Year 1 with a new team in NFL history.

However, his performance over the final two weeks of the campaign.

That includes the Vikings’ NFC Wild Card Playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams – added to the doubts created throughout his career.

The former No. 3 overall pick has certainly restored his image since a tumultuous five-year start with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, parlaying a year of tutelage with the San Francisco 49ers into a full-blown breakout with the Vikings,” Benjamin wrote. “His poised and aggressive 35-touchdown showcase under Kevin O’Connell ultimately ended with a whimper, however, as he folded under pressure in Minnesota’s last — and most important — two games.

Darnold completed 53.1% of his throws for a 411-1-1 line combined in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions and in the playoffs versus the Rams. He also had two games with more than 1interception all season.

Darnold fumbled 8 times, losing 4, and, per Pro Football Focus, he posted the eighth-highest sack rate among QBs with double-digit starts in 2024.