“The Most Intriguing Of Decisions In The League”: Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Sam Darnold Franchise Tag Candidate (Report)

The Minnesota Vikings will have to make a major decision about what to do with quarterback Sam Darnold before next year. Darnold will become a free agent.

Minnesota will have to decide about whether to franchise tag him, sign him to a long-term deal, or let him not come back next season. The Vikings went 14-3 last season and lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card round on the road. Minnesota has a chance to be good once again next season.

One player who plans on being franchise-tagged already is Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. With him going on the tag, there are some other players to potentially watch for across the league to get tagged.

One interesting name that NFL.com writer Judy Battista mentioned was Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. A lot of it is going to depend upon what the franchise feels about him and quarterback J.J. McCarthy moving forward. Battista said

“The most intriguing of decisions in the league, what the Vikings choose to do with Sam Darnold will tell us how they feel about the veteran quarterback and maybe even more about what they think of J.J. McCarthy and his recovery from a knee injury suffered before the 2024 regular season even began. McCarthy was selected in the first round of 2024 NFL Draft to be the quarterback of the future, and Darnold was supposed to be the bridge to McCarthy. But McCarthy’s injury put his debut on hold, while Darnold had a career renaissance under the tutelage of Kevin O’Connell, leading the team to 14 wins and a wild-card berth. His final two games were clunkers, but that doesn’t erase what he did over the rest of the season, and the Vikings could use the tag — which is likely to be around $40 million for a quarterback — to kick the can further down the road. Given how many teams desperately need a QB, Darnold will have a strong market if he is not tagged. “

Last season with the Vikings, Darnold completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He is 27 years old and had the best year of his NFL career last season. Minnesota is usually smart when it comes to paying its players. The franchise tag would not be the worst option in the world for the Minnesota Vikings next year and it would give J.J. McCarthy more time to prepare.

Other Destinations

If Sam Darnold was not tagged or brought back, there would be options for him. The New York Giants, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Tennessee Titans would be some of the teams who could sign him this offseason. Pittsburgh is not expected to bring back Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.

The Giants, the Raiders, and the Titans also need a starting quarterback for the 2025 season. However, Sam Darnold would be better off in Minnesota for 2025 than any of those four destinations also.