Sam Darnold doesn’t have to look hard to find how the Minnesota Vikings may approach their upcoming contract talks.
The Vikings have made it public that they have a desire to keep Darnold, who Kevin O’Connell said has also earned the right to be a top-tier free agent.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Minnesota is only willing to go so far for Darnold and are unwilling to enter a bidding war — a similar stance they took with Kirk Cousins last year.
“They haven’t made a firm determination on this, but many around the league see them starting over with J.J. McCarthy if a new suitor prices Darnold out of Minnesota,” Fowler wrote on February 12. “Like with Kirk Cousins, the Vikings won’t mortgage their future on a free agent quarterback contract.”
Darnold Has a Say in Vikings’ Future at QB
While the writing was on the wall that Cousins would leave Minnesota last year, the Vikings maintained that they had a desire to re-sign him to a contract that would not compromise their finances to rebuild the roster.
The Vikings bravely faced the unknown at quarterback. They signed Darnold, who was a backup with the San Francisco 49ers last year, to a one-year, $10 million contract and drafted McCarthy 10th overall.
A step back at quarterback was expected but with the improvements made through free agency — including the signing of Pro Bowl edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard — the Vikings had confidence they could compete.
The Darnold-led Vikings shattered expectations, winning 14 games and earning a playoff berth after they were predicted to take last in the NFC North and win under seven games.
While there is the potential for a change of plans in Minnesota, the most likely path forward remains the same as last year — sign an affordable veteran to compete with McCarthy in training camp and pass on the pricey veteran quarterback contract.
However, the onus is on Darnold.
If he sees Minnesota as a place he can win and values that over a lucrative multi-year extension, he could come back on a short-term contract — but what’s in his best interest is to maximize his earning potential after his career rebirth.
Sam Darnold is Unlikely to Stick With Vikings
GettyMinnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell speaks to quarterback Sam Darnold #14 before a game against the Houston Texans.
Like Cousins last year, Darnold is the No. 1 free agent quarterback on the market and is expected to garner a contract worth at least $30 million a season. Some experts have him securing a deal that could push for $40 million.
The Vikings have a line that they would bring Darnold back, but likely well below both of those figures.
The franchise tag is another route widely discussed. It makes sense from the perspective of keeping a quality veteran insurance policy in Minnesota for another year while McCarthy continues his recovery from knee surgery last August.
However, the $41 million franchise tag would account for nearly 75% of the Vikings’ cap space, leaving little room to reload a roster that has 25 players on expiring contracts.
Minnesota needs cap space to not only re-sign talent but hopefully improve areas of their roster after the Los Angeles Rams exposed the Vikings’ deficiencies in the trenches in their first-round playoff exit.
Fans have waited longingly for the 2025 offseason where the Vikings will have considerable cap space to be big-game hunters in free agency for the first time since Cousins arrived in 2018.
Minnesota has the fifth-most effective cap space ($55 million) to spend, which the Vikings will need to use wisely with only three draft picks in hand this year.
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