The Vikings’ Big Mystery Isn’t Mysterious at All
In 19 days or less, the Minnesota Vikings will solve the great mystery piquing fans’ interest — what happens to Sam Darnold?
The Vikings’ Big Mystery Isn’t Mysterious at All
That’s when free agency’s “legal tampering” phase kicks off, and if Minnesota does not extend his contract, Darnold will be free to sign anywhere in the NFL.
Meanwhile, fans have debated Darnold’s future, focused on three primary outcomes:
- Extending Darnold in Minnesota.
- Franchise tagging-and-trading Darnold to a new team.
- Letting Darnold hit the open market.
Well, here’s the deal. Shortly before the Super Bowl, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell essentially told the world of his franchise’s plans — Darnold will test free agency.
“To be sitting here today, Sam Darnold, 14 wins later, his best season of his career by far. He deserves all the credit for that. We had belief in him and he earned it with his teammates on a daily basis. But then also to have J.J. McCarthy now healthy, gonna have a full offseason, I think it’s going to be really exciting. We’ll see how the free agency process works out for Sam,” O’Connell said on February 7th.
We’ll see how the free agency process works out for Sam. What else is there to deduce?
Wondering how free agency will work out for the 27-year-old disqualifies a contract extension or really any possibility of a franchise tag or franchise tag-and-trade. It was as if O’Connell knew his team’s plan — of course he did — and tipped his hand.
A day after, O’Connell also spoke candidly about his team’s quarterback plan in the next few months. “We drafted him 10th overall for a reason,” O’Connell told CBS Sports on Saturday, February 8th, about J.J. McCarthy, his 22-year-old passer.
O’Connell added, “I believe Sam has played himself into being kind of the marquee free-agent quarterback available. I do believe that his teammates and coaches and, our front office, and myself would love to have Sam back in Minnesota. But at the same time we do feel very confident in J.J. McCarthy. He’s healthy.”
Darnold is expected to test free agency in three weeks and can likely fetch a contract worth $40+ million per season. Teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, or New York Giants could express interest.
And for Darnold not to test free agency — to re-sign with the Vikings or get traded — O’Connell’s words before the Super Bowl would’ve been all for nil or completely false.
You should expect Darnold to hit the open market. Anything else would be a shocker.
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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