NFL free agency is 12 days away, and all signs point to Sam Darnold, the league’s top free-agent quarterback prize, testing the open market.
Ian Rapoport Updates the Sam Darnold Sweepstakes
But there’s still hope from some that the Minnesota Vikings could franchise tag Darnold, followed by a trade that would fetch the purple team a sweet draft pick.
Thanks to NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport, there’s an update on the Darnold sweepstakes and a tip of the cap to the Vikings, as a franchise, for putting themselves in such a wonderfully good predicament.
“It seems to me, based on my conversations, that in this offseason, of the quarterbacks available, Sam Darnold seems to be the best. Darnold seems to be the dude. The Vikings have him. If they want him to be the starter, they could do that. That’s not that hard,” Rapoport explained at the 2025 NFL Combine.
“They could tag him, or they could reach a new deal based around the tag. If they want J.J. McCarthy to be their starter, they are in an unbelievable position, just being able to hold onto Darnold and say, ‘You wanna get him? Come get him.’ We haven’t seen this a lot.”
Darnold worked for the Vikings in 2024, banking 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions inside a reclamation year for the former third overall pick. He helped lead the purple team to a 14-3 record when most sportsbooks and pundits expected Minnesota to win six or seven games.
Meanwhile, the Vikings also have J.J. McCarthy ready, waiting, and willing to take the QB1 reins of the franchise as early as this September. Minnesota drafted McCarthy 10th overall 10 months ago, but he tore his meniscus four months later, canceling his entire rookie campaign.
Rapoport continued, “It’s like comp pick, plus-plus. Amazing situation for the Vikings if they’re comfortable enough with J.J. McCarthy to be their guy. They can just auction off Sam Darnold and go, ‘Come pay for him.'”
The Vikings leadership duo, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head Kevin O’Connell, very explicitly avoided endorsing a quarterback plan for 2025 on Tuesday at the Combine. In fact, the pair complimented all passers in their roster orbit, including J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold, and Daniel Jones.
O’Connell mentioned about his quarterback strategy, “We’re evaluating the short-term and long-term aspects of it. It’s still early in the offseason process.”
And he said about Darnold: “I’ve had great dialogue with Sam from the time the season ended up until very, very recently. Sam is in a position where the NFL thinks he can play football at a very high level. We’ll see where it goes.”
If Darnold does not play for the Vikings in 2025, teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Giants could poke around trade talks or his impending free agency.
All options regarding Darnold are apparently on the table.
He’ll turn 28 this summer.
A Vikings Dream Will Finally Come True
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 MIN 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.