Vikings Latest Move ‘Significant’ for Giants, Sam Darnold

The New York Giants plans at quarterback could depend a lot on what the Minnesota Vikings do, especially if those plans involve Sam Darnold. So the Vikings latest move regarding cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. is “significant” for both the Giants and Darnold.

That move is the Vikings and Murphy agreeing to “push back the void date on his contract. Originally, the deal voided 23 days prior to the start of the league year (either today or tomorrow). Now, it’s the day before the start of the league year, which means Murphy cannot be franchised (since that date is past the deadline for teams to use the franchise tag),” per ESPN’s Dan Graziano.

He also noted how “Interestingly, they did NOT reach the same agreement with QB Sam Darnold, whose contract still voids 23 days before the start of the league year. If they don’t do a new deal with Darnold before the contract voids, then $5 million in remaining signing bonus proration would accelerate onto their 2025 salary cap as dead money for Sam Darnold.”

Graziano’s update drew a Giants-related comment from Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. He pointed out “This is significant. It means QB Sam Darnold can be franchise tagged but CB Byron Murphy Jr cannot be. Both should be on #Giants radar, Murphy particularly

The implications are obvious for the Giants and their pursuit of a new QB1. If they want Darnold, he could cost as much as two first-round draft picks if he’s tagged.

Perhaps more important, the Vikings neglecting to extend the void date in Darnold’s current deal may be a sign they are preparing to acquire a new signal-caller of their own. Perhaps one who might be on the Giants radar.