Assessing the Minnesota Vikings’ Prospects in the Sam Darnold Sweepstakes

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold will command a hefty sum to stay in purple next season, and there’s now more intel on which way the team will lean.

“I’m told that the Minnesota Vikings are open to doing a deal with Sam Darnold … (but) if he’s getting major bank with another team somewhere else, they probably won’t mortgage their future in that regard,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported during  SportsCenter on Feb. 21. 

“What was made clear to me though is J.J. McCarthy is the franchise quarterback at some point, whether that’s six months from now, 12 months, 18 months,” Fowler added. “They have not made that firm determination yet, but he will be the guy. So whoever steps in this year is essentially a bridge quarterback.”

And if Darnold remains in that role, it will cost a lot, even if other quarterback-hungry teams with more salary cap space than the Vikings pass on him. Minnesota may have the salary cap space to keep Darnold, but a more aggressive approach, such as the franchise tag, doesn’t look as promising.

“While they have plenty of cap space, the $42.4 million franchise tag would hit their books this year, limiting their financial flexibility until the situation is resolved,” Barnwell wrote. “If he chose to sign the tag, Minnesota would likely have to move forward with Darnold as its starter in 2025 and leave J.J. McCarthy on the bench, costing it another year of surplus value from the 2024 first-rounder’s rookie deal.”

Darnold had a career year with the Vikings in 2024 amid 4,319 yards passing and 35 touchdowns, while McCarthy, a rookie from Michigan, remained sidelined due to meniscus surgery. McCarthy’s recovery has moved along, but his weight is a concern, as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer pointed out during The Herd with Collin Cowherd on Feb. 21.

“There is a little question about him putting some weight back on, so that’s something we’re going to have to watch over the next few weeks, but they really like what they’ve seen from J.J. McCarthy,” Breer told Cowherd. “He pushed Darnold in August; he made (the Vikings QB1 choice) at least a conversation in August.”

McCarthy had a stellar career at Michigan and won a national title before the Vikings made him the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft. If McCarthy isn’t ready to go, the Vikings also have veteran Daniel Jones to re-sign.

Jones has shown flashes of quality play in his years with the New York Giants, but he has mostly struggled. The Giants released him in November, and he joined the Vikings, where he didn’t play a snap all season.

All that said, the Vikings brass threw potential curve balls this week regarding plans at quarterback when it comes to Darnold. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah complemented Darnold’s body of work. 

“He played a lot of good football for us Year 1 in the system, and so you can expect more later,” Adofo-Mensah told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re excited at the potential for Sam, wherever that ends up being.” 

In addition, Adofo-Mensah addressed Darnold’s play against the Lions and Rams. Darnold completed 33 of 81 passes and threw one touchdown pass between those two games.

“(We are) not trying to be overweighted by those eight quarters, but not underweighting those last two games,” Adofo-Mensah said.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t rule out Darnold in his comments either at the combine. O’Connell likewise was complimentary of what Darnold did in one season with the Vikings.

“This process is going to play out both short-term and long-term for the Minnesota Vikings, and Sam is in a position where the NFL thinks he can play quarterback at a very high level,” O’Connell told reporters on Tuesday.