Top Landing Spot for Sam Darnold Picks Up More Steam
Here’s a little secret: Sam Darnold will probably play for a new team in 2025.
Top Landing Spot for Sam Darnold Picks Up More Steam
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback can earn between $35 and $45 million per season on the open market, and the purple team may not have that cash in its budget for his services.
If Minnesota does not franchise tag-and-trade Darnold — the deadline for the tag is March 4th — the 27-year-old will hit free agency and sign elsewhere. And as of mid-February, most pundits believe Darnold will join the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster.
After the Raiders hired Pete Carroll during this coaching carousel, the NFL community collectively agreed that Carroll could probably win some football games with Darnold. Las Vegas has Aidan O’Connell and the draft’s sixth overall pick, but that’s about it for assets that could be used for a QB1.
SI.com‘s Albert Breer was the latest to speculate Darnold to Las Vegas. He wrote this week about the franchise tag and Darnold’s landing spot: “The franchise tag window opens tomorrow, and the two big decisions belong to Cincinnati (Tee Higgins) and Minnesota (Sam Darnold). Teams have two weeks before the deadline for making those calls, so I wouldn’t expect anything immediate.”
“I do think, for what it’s worth, Darnold would be a really good fit for Chip Kelly’s offense in Las Vegas.”
Moreover, Breer was not alone this week with the Darnold-Raiders endorsement. ESPN’s Matt Bowen followed suit.
“With the transition to coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Raiders could finally solve their QB issue in free agency by signing Darnold. Las Vegas was 30th in QBR in 2024 (40.4), and Darnold’s 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdown throws for the Vikings both ranked fifth in the league. And in Vegas, Kelly could scheme for Darnold’s arm talent, while also using his mobility to attack the edges,” Bowen wrote about Darnold to Las Vegas.
If Breer and Bowen get it right, Darnold signing in Las Vegas, the Vikings would almost certainly hand the QB1 scepter to J.J. McCarthy, drafted by Minnesota 10 months ago with the 10th overall pick.
Other possible landing spots for Darnold include the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Indianapolis Colts.
VikingsTerritory writers, nearly in unison, recently predicted, too, that Darnold would land in Las Vegas.
Free agency is 20 days 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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