Vikings Face Tough Sam Darnold Decision In 2025, Must Move On

The Minnesota Vikings have plenty of work to do in the offseason. Despite their 14-3 record last year, the issues that the Vikings face are myriad.

It starts and ends with the quarterback position, and there are many issues that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell must deal with in between. In no particular order, the Vikings have to figure out what they will do at the running back position. Can they coax a productive season out of Aaron Jones or do they bring in another back to take over the position?

The offensive line has major holes on the interior. The Vikings were overrun by the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams in consecutive weeks because their guards and center did not hold up. Pass coverage has been an issue for years, going back to the previous coaching administration of Mike Zimmer. They need new cornerbacks and is this the year that they say goodbye to 36-year-old safety Harrison Smith?

There are other areas that need to be addressed, including quality depth, but the fate of quarterback Sam Darnold seems to be the biggest issue.

The Vikings have a QB1 in waiting in J.J. McCarthy, who was selected with the 10th pick in last year’s draft. He was coming off a national championship year with Michigan and he started working with perhaps the best quarterback guru in the league in O’Connell. While the Vikings had brought in a veteran in Sam Darnold, the idea was that McCarthy would start when he was ready to take over as the team’s starter, possibly in mid-September or October.

His preseason torn meniscus scuttled those plans and Darnold went on to have a great and surprising year. There are no guarantees that Darnold would be able to repeat his success in 2025, and if the Vikings were to bring him back, his $10 million salary would likely rise to the $35-40 million level.

The Vikings have the cap room this year, but do they want to give him so much of their available cap space? The likely answer is that they do not.

They want McCarthy to take over at the No. 1 quarterback and they have to make sure they have a reasonable backup who can step in for him in case of injury or other circumstances surface.

The Vikings don’t need to go the route that the Atlanta Falcons went a year ago. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins as a high-priced free agent a year ago, and while he started the season in grand fashion, he fell apart in the second half of the year and he was replaced by Atlanta’s first-round draft pick Michael Penix. Spending big money on an established quarterback like the Falcons did was a questionable move from the start, and it looked even worse by the end of the 2024 season.

The Vikings added former New York Giant quarterback Daniel Jones late in the season and he could suffice as a legitimate backup. He struggled for the majority of his six seasons with the Giants, but he has some legitimate physical tools – athleticism and arm strength – that are impressive. His best game with the Giants was a playoff road victory over the Vikings at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

It’s not a lot for Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell to count on, but neither was the idea of bringing in Darnold last year.

Bringing in Jones was a quiet move after he was released by the Giants, but it could have very loud ramifications in the 2025 season if there is any issue with McCarthy in 2025. It is clear that Jones would be motivated after his struggles during his tenure with the Giants.

The last thing the Vikings should do is bring in a higher-priced free agent, with Aaron Rodgers as the specific player to avoid. The Vikings have been known for their happy locker room and family atmosphere under the current leadership, and Rodgers might not be the best player to add if they want that good feeling to continue.

The idea of bringing Darnold back is front of mind at this point in the offseason, but as the days and weeks go by, Darnold’s future will likely be with another team and not the Vikings.