Rick Spielman Has Thoughts on Vikings’ 2025 QB Situation
If it were left up to the Minnesota Vikings’ old boss, Sam Darnold wouldn’t be going anywhere in the offseason.
Rick Spielman Has Thoughts on Vikings’ 2025 QB Situation
Rick Spielman worked in Minnesota’s front office from 2006 to 2022, and he said last week that the Vikings should retain Darnold in 2025 and beyond, using a “bridge quarterback” deal.
The Vikings drafted Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy eight months ago and are tentatively expected to start him in 2025 while letting Darnold walk to a free-agent suitor in March.
“If I was Minnesota, why wouldn’t you keep Sam Darnold? Why not do a potential bridge deal like a Baker Mayfield? Three years, $100 million deal?” Spielman said on the With the First Pick podcast.
Minnesota, in reality, may not offer Darnold another bridge deal because Darnold can realistically expect to command $40-$50 million per season via his next contract. The Vikings don’t have that lying around unless they have no plans to sign other free agents during the 2025 offseason. In fact, re-signing Darnold to a contract recognizing his market value would plop Minnesota right back in its Kirk Cousins era of team-building, a period orchestrated by Spielman that resulted in one postseason win.
Spielman mentioned about McCarthy, who tore his meniscus in August, canceling his entire rookie season: “He’s a rookie. He’s going to start over from scratch. He didn’t do anything this year. He’s not practicing. He’s sitting in meetings. He’s rehabbing. He hasn’t done one thing since that surgery except rehab throw the ball on the side, maybe. But he’s not practicing, so you’re starting from square one with him.”
The purple rumor mill has hinted for a few weeks that Darnold will likely hit the open market and join a club like the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, or Las Vegas Raiders. Minnesota doesn’t believe McCarthy is a “maybe” commodity or that it’s taking a big, risky flyer on him. He’s their guy.
Spielman concluded, “Look at what Green Bay did with Jordan Love. Look at what Green Bay did with Brett Favre. If you count next year, his rookie year, Patrick Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith. So if I sit him for two years, why not?”
Not for nothing, Darnold is on pace for 4,286 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions this season. He’s played marvelously.
If Minnesota didn’t have McCarthy on an affordable contract waiting in the wings, re-upping with Darnold would make all the sense in the world.
But McCarthy is the Vikings’ future, and Spielman’s just-keep-Darnold musings feel like a relic.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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