As free agency approaches, it appears less likely that the Minnesota Vikings will retain quarterback Sam Darnold.
On Tuesday, February 18, Alex Kay of Bleacher Report predicted that the Vikings will let Darnold walk in free agency, and that he will ultimately sign a three-year, $120 million contract on the open market.
“The Las Vegas Raiders have both the money to burn and a renewed desire to win after some organizational changes,” Kay wrote. “Given the weak crop of quarterbacks in the 2025 draft class … Darnold makes perfect sense for a Raiders squad looking to win now.”
Vikings Could Extract Trade Value From Sam Darnold via Franchise Tag
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
Why the Raiders are rushing to win in 2025 after going 4-13 last season and subsequently firing their head coach and general manager is a question worth an article of its own. But that Las Vegas appears headed in that direction is relevant in Minnesota both for Darnold’s prospects and potentially for a change of course in the front office.
Minnesota can use its franchise tag to keep Darnold and attempt to trade him before he actually signs the deal, which would cost the Vikings around $40 million next season. Given that there aren’t many elite-level NFL quarterbacks available in the coming draft — perhaps even none — and that the free agency market is slim, the Vikings could potentially stack a couple of mid-round picks by holding onto Darnold’s rights before ultimately trading them to the right suitor.
However, Kevin Seifert of ESPN reported Monday that Minnesota is not inclined to use the one-off tool to hang onto Darnold, but may instead employ it to keep a promising young piece in a secondary that is potentially facing almost total turnover from last season to the next.
“Using the tag on quarterback Sam Darnold would be an expensive way of ensuring his return while avoiding a longer-term commitment that would hinder J.J. McCarthy’s eventual ascension,” Seifert wrote. “It could also be a way to elicit additional value by way of a trade, but that would require a knowledge that multiple teams would be willing to bid. In the end, 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.”
Sam Darnold Should Have Strong Market Regardless of Raiders’ Outcomes
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
If the Raiders land a quarterback at No. 6 in the draft, there will should be other Darnold suitors.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may be among them and perhaps make the most sense as a playoff team that is actually ready to do some real winning in 2025. The New York Jets are also in need, though they are a far less likely candidate because of Darnold’s history there. The Jets drafted the QB No. 3 overall in 2018 and sent him packing after three less-than-stellar years.
The Tennessee Titans also make sense as a Darnold destination assuming they pass on a quarterback with the first pick in the draft a couple of months from now.
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