Vikings Apparently Have Top Free Agent in NFL for 2025
About half of the Minnesota Vikings’ roster is scheduled to hit free agency in March. It’s why the team will have over $70 million in cap space when the offseason arrives.
Vikings Apparently Have Top Free Agent in NFL for 2025
And according to Bleacher Report, the purple team as the league’s most prized free agent — quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold headlines BR’s Top 50 free agents list, accompanied by teammates Aaron Jones (RB), Camryn Bynum (S), Byron Murphy (CB), and Cam Robinson (LT). But none are as coveted as Darnold, says Kristopher Knox.
“Darnold is the top quarterback who’s poised to reach free agency. He’s blossomed under head coach Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota, and with a few more years of competent coaching, he could feasibly be a top-10 signal-caller,” Knox wrote this week. “Though Darnold’s last game was arguably his worst of the season, the newly minted Pro Bowler had a slew of terrific ones this year. He finished the regular season with a career-high 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 102.5 passer rating.”
It is unclear if Darnold will return to the Vikings, as the franchise has rookie passer J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings to take over at some point. Minnesota spent a 1st-Round pick on McCarthy eight months ago. “Darnold or McCarthy” debates are plentiful among fans.
Knox continued, “Teams are likely to have two big questions about Darnold when free agency begins. They’ll wonder how much is too much to pay a signal-caller with only one year of top-end production. (Spotrac now estimates Darnold’s market value at $54.7 million annually.) They’ll also wonder if he can continue developing in a different offensive system.”
Darnold could have oodles of suitors in March if he doesn’t re-up with the Vikings, including squads like the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams if Matthew Stafford retires.
“Landing in an offense that shares elements with the Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay system would be optimal. Tennessee could be an ideal landing spot—head coach Brian Callahan previously served under McVay protege Zac Taylor—though the Titans may prefer to use the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft on a quarterback,” Knox concluded.
In addition to the Titans, Knox also named-dropped the Pittsburgh Steelers as a likely destination for Darnold.
Otherwise, Minnesota could apply the franchise tag to Darnold, paying him $40 million for one season while leaving the door open for a trade or extension after the tag.
Most of the Vikings’ precious cap space for 2025 will vanish if the team re-signs Darnold and players like the aforementioned Jones, Murphy, and Bynum — unless general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah backloads the extensions into future years.
Minnesota begins the postseason tournament this Monday in the Wildcard Round at the Los Angeles Rams.
Darnold will turn 28 in June.
Former Viking Returns from Suspension
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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