According to Dianni Russini, NFL insider at The Athletic, the Minnesota Vikings intend to let Sam Darnold test the open market after opting not to use the franchise tag before the deadline. Darnold is coming off of a career season for the Vikings and looks poised to be the top available quarterback in free agency.
Sam Darnold Revived His NFL Career in 2024
When Darnold joined the Vikings last offseason, he appeared poised to be a career journeyman. Playing on his fourth team since being drafted in 2018, the league viewed him as good enough to be a bridge option or high-end backup but not a franchise quarterback.
When first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy went down with a season-ending injury before the start of last season, Darnold took advantage of the opportunity and revitalized his career as a starting NFL quarterback. Darnold completed 66.2% of his passes, and threw for 4,319 yards along with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record.
He recorded a career-best QB+ grade of 79.0 in 2024, ranking 12th in the NFL — notably ahead of highly-regarded players including Jordan Love (78.8), Justin Herbert (78.5), and Kyler Murray (77.3).
Who Are Darnold’s Suitors in Free Agency?
Darnold’s career year in 2024 has helped his market value skyrocket, and with the Vikings choosing not to franchise tag him, he will now draw interest from several quarterback-needy teams as the headline of the free agency class.
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— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 4, 2025
“The Vikings have been saying for weeks that QB Sam Darnold ‘has earned the right to be a free agent.’ They are expected to let him do just that,” shared Russini in an X post.
The Vikings have interest in retaining Darnold’s services in a backup and mentor role, but only at a team-friendly price, especially considering the team spent a top-10 pick on McCarthy just a year ago in the 2024 NFL Draft, who is viewed as the future of the franchise.
“McCarthy is healthy now, but the Vikings still would prefer to pair him with a more experienced option,” wrote Alec Lewis, Minnesota Vikings beat writer at The Athletic.
“Darnold could come into play if his market is more depressed than expected with teams like the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Giants needing quarterbacks.
“If one of those teams is willing to spend upwards of $30 million a year for his services, Minnesota could opt for a cheaper option (again, think: team-wide roster building) in the form of a familiar QB like Daniel Jones whom the Vikings signed late last year to establish a relationship.”
The excerpt from The Athletic mentions the Titans, Raiders, Steelers, and Giants as teams who could be in the market for a starting quarterback. It also notably mentions the potential of Darnold demanding north of $30 million per season, which would price him out of Minnesota.
There are a ton of quarterback-needy teams inside the top 10 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft, with only two quarterbacks, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, typically deemed worthy of such an early pick, making a free agent like Darnold even more valuable in the current market.
The Titans and Browns will have the first swings at the top two quarterback prospects, leaving the Giants, Raiders, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints as teams that could have to trade up to land one of the draft’s top signal callers.
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Signing Darnold would give the Titans the flexibility to take the top player on their board, or even trade the first overall pick for a haul of compensation from a team interested in Ward or Sanders.
The Giants, stuck at No. 3 behind the Raiders and Browns in the NFL Draft order, could choose to pursue Darnold as their starter rather than needing to trade up to secure their prospect of choice. However, the Giants have strong interest in Aaron Rodgers, according to Russini, which would take them out of the Darnold equation.
The Raiders, likely to miss out on the top quarterback prospects, could similarly sign Darnold as a consolation prize and focus on filling other needs with their first-round draft choice.
Rounding out the rest of the quarterback-needy teams, the Saints have Derek Carr under contract and don’t have the cap space to afford Darnold. If they add a quarterback, it will be through the draft. The Browns are also in a dire cap situation, and signing Darnold on top of Deshaun Watson’s contract is not realistic.
The Steelers have reportedly decided on bringing back one of either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, almost certainly taking them off the list of teams that would be willing to pay Darnold. Meanwhile, the Jets and Darnold already failed to work out in the past, and they are not seeking a reunion with each other this offseason, leaving just a few realistic suitors remaining.
The Raiders and Titans appear to be the best fits for Darnold to earn a payday and secure a starting job for the 2025 season. If neither offers Darnold a starting quarterback spot, he could return to Minnesota at a reasonable price to mentor McCarthy.