The Minnesota Vikings will enter the 2025 offseason with one of the most intriguing quarterback situations in the NFL.
J.J. McCarthy was preordained as the franchise quarterback when Minnesota traded up to take the Michigan national champion No. 10 overall. But after a preseason knee injury that ended McCarthy’s rookie season before it began, Sam Darnold has instead led the Vikings into Super Bowl contention.
With Darnold on a one-year deal, the Vikings will need to decide whether to extend the rejuvenated veteran or turn the team over to McCarthy. If Minnesota moves on, here are a few potential landing spots for Darnold in 2025.
What Teams Are the Best Fit for Sam Darnold in 2025?
New York Jets
You wouldn’t blame Darnold for not wanting to relive some of the haunting memories from the franchise that drafted him third overall in 2018. Still, the New York Jets are arguably the team most in need of a veteran starter for 2025, making a Darnold reunion a legitimate possibility.
According to Spotrac, the Jets are projected to rank 21st in cap space for the 2025 offseason. New York is almost certainly moving on from Aaron Rodgers, which will actually reduce their cap space since Rodgers’ dead cap hit is $49 million, compared to $23.5 million if he remains on the roster.
However, New York built a roster meant to win now in hopes of capitalizing on Rodgers’ closing window. That could still remain the case if they retain or extend Davante Adams.
The coaching staff and front office have both completely turned over from when Darnold was last on the Jets in 2020. Even the uniforms are different from what Darnold last donned with the Jets. So while the organization would be the same, Darnold’s second tenure doesn’t have to resemble his first.
New York Giants
Darnold could also feasibly play for the other MetLife Stadium tenant. With Daniel Jones off the roster, the New York Giants need a 2025 quarterback solution, and neither Tommy DeVito nor Drew Lock are viable options.
The Giants are the first of three fairly similar teams coming up in this article. New York likely prefers to draft its franchise QB with a top pick it will own, as they did in PFN’s most recent seven-round mock draft. However, none of the rookie quarterbacks are obvious Day 1 starters, with this year’s crop being less heralded than last year’s draft class that saw a record-tying six first-round QBs.
Even if the Giants draft one, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Brian Daboll (or a new coaching staff) sit the rookie while Darnold or another veteran starts Week 1. If Darnold can’t find a team where he’s an unquestioned starter, that opens up the possibility of another one-year bridge deal similar to his current situation.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans again benched Will Levis following a disastrous turnover-filled day in Week 15. After Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Levis was tied for the league lead with 17 turnovers despite missing three games and most of a fourth one.
Head coach Brian Callahan didn’t sound particularly committed to Levis, continuing a season-long trend.
Brian Callahan said if they do move away from Will Levis the possible benefit would be the guys feel like they're put in the best position to win and everyone is held accountable.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) December 16, 2024
Levis ranks 34th out of 40 qualified passers in PFN’s QB+ metric entering MNF in Week 15. He didn’t throw enough passes to qualify after being benched on Sunday, but Levis would have earned the second-worst grade of his career, according to Ben Rolfe:
“Levis did not technically qualify for a grade in Week 15 as he threw just 12 passes, with the minimum being 15 pass attempts. Based on his 12 attempts, his grade would have been a D and the second-worst game of his career. Levis struggled both when under pressure and from a clean pocket, finishing with a -0.88 EPA per dropback.
“That now leaves Levis with a D- grade for the 2024 season and puts his career as a starter in Tennessee in significant doubt. Levis has regressed in his second season, having finished with a D+ grade in his rookie season.”
As such, the Titans are certain to either pull the plug on Levis or bring in serious outside QB competition. Mason Rudolph never represented a real threat to Levis’ job. While that was an understandable stance to take this season, his lack of development requires a stronger veteran option for 2024.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have received abysmal quarterback play the whole year. Only Gardner Minshew II has thrown enough passes to qualify for the season-long leaderboard, but if you lower the minimum to 40 pass attempts, Las Vegas would have the 27th (Aidan O’Connell), 36th (Minshew), and 46th (Desmond Ridder) ranked passers out of 47 total QBs.
With a loss on Monday Night Football, the Raiders would be back in position for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s likely at that point Vegas would pick its favorite quarterback.
It’s difficult to say whether Darnold’s a fit, given the uncertainty surrounding the Raiders’ coaching staff. However, like the Giants, Las Vegas can be expected to bring in a veteran option to compete with a rookie who may not be ready to start right away.
Vegas also has the second-most projected cap space behind only the New England Patriots, so the Raiders could theoretically outbid any team for Darnold on a hefty short-term deal.
San Francisco 49ers
The wild card in this group is Darnold’s employer from the 2023 season. The San Francisco 49ers are facing a critical decision on Brock Purdy, who will enter the final season of his rookie contract in 2025.
Purdy seemed like a no-brainer for a mega-extension after an extremely efficient 2023 season that saw him contend for MVP. But injuries to the 49ers’ supporting cast have led to a much more pedestrian 2024 season, raising questions about San Francisco’s outlook if an expensive Purdy requires them to move on from some of his weapons.
Purdy still ranks a respectable seventh in QB+ after leading that category in 2023, ahead of Darnold at 13th. Of course, Darnold wouldn’t demand the same type of sizable long-term contract that Purdy requires, and it’s possible his production would improve playing with a healthier Niners team in 2025.
Three years ago, the 49ers chose to pivot away from Jimmy Garoppolo despite a high level of production. Purdy bailed them out of their ill-fated Trey Lance gambit, but now he could be on the other end of a quarterback zag if Darnold is available for the right price.
