Sam Darnold Offers Clue about His Future
He doesn’t sound exactly like a man heading back to the Minnesota Vikings.
Sam Darnold Offers Clue about His Future
That’s Sam Darnold, Minnesota’s QB1 in 2024, and the 27-year-old spoke with SiriusXM Radio this week, sounding like a player who will test free agency.
“I’ve put a little bit of thought into it. I’m not going to share anything about, kind of, what I’ve been thinking or, obviously, the conversations I’ve had behind closed doors,” Darnold said. “There’s obviously, a lot that’s going to happen still, even after the Super Bowl. So, I’m just going to continue to talk to my agent and figure things out from there.”
Normally in an interview like SiriusXM‘s, a player might say something to the effect of: “I’d love to be back with the Vikings.” But he said no such thing.
Darnold provided the Vikings with 4,319 passing yards, 36 total touchdowns, and 12 interceptions this season, leading Minnesota to an unexpected 14-3 record when oddsmakers forecasted his team to finish 6-11 or 7-10.
The problem? Darnold faded with Minnesota’s season on the line in a Week 18 game at the Detroit Lions and in the postseason against the Los Angeles Rams. He went from fringe MVP consideration in December to a player most Vikings don’t want back in 2025 — in about eight days.
If Darnold does not return to the Vikings, teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, and New York Giants could poke around his free agency. Because of his lofty statistics, he should command a contract between $35-$45 million per year.
Nine days ago, Darnold posted what felt like a sentimental goodbye note on Instagram. “Year 7… So grateful for my teammates, coaches, and the entire organization. We created memories and relationships that will last a lifetime and we got to do it in front of the best fanbase in the world #SKOL,” Darnold wrote on January 31st.
Too, head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke about Darnold’s future after his team’s loss to the Rams in the playoffs. “The other phase of it for Sam is acknowledging the things that made him a winning quarterback this year. The consistency and the times he had it throughout the year and what that meant for our team. Because I think that can stay with him moving forward as he goes back to work,” O’Connell explained after the 2024 season ended.
“Proud of him. Proud of everybody in that locker room but Sam and the journey him and I went on this year will always be something that has a special place in my heart, for sure.”
Onlookers believed those words indicated Darnold could hit free agency and not return to Minnesota for a sequel.
Should Darnold leave the Vikings, O’Connell already has an in-house QB1 solution — J.J. McCarthy, who Minnesota drafted with the 10th overall pick last April.
NFL free agency is about five weeks away.
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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